Galanin inhibits the vasodilatatory basalocortical cholinergic system in the anaesthetized rat.

In order to test the putative interaction between galanin and the vasodilatatory basalocortical cholinergic system, anaesthetized ventilated rats received a microinjection into the substantia innominata of 0.9% NaCl, 50 nmol carbachol, 50 nmol carbachol and 200 ng galanin, or 200 ng galanin. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured with [14C]iodoantipyrine by the tissue sampling technique immediately following the intracerebral infusions. Under coinjection conditions, the flow increases observed after carbachol microinjection in the ipsilateral temporal and frontoparietal cortices were found to be significantly reduced (-37%, p < or = 0.02 and -25%, p < or = 0.05 respectively) compared with carbachol stimulated rats. The infusion of galanin by itself had no effect on CBF. These results demonstrate that galanin inhibits the vasodilatatory basalocortical cholinergic system and thus may possibly influence CBF by indirect mechanisms.