title: Impact of circulating corticosterone on alpha 1- and alpha 2-noradrenergic receptors in discrete brain areas.
abstract: The impact of adrenalectomy (ADX) and subsequent corticosterone(CORT) replacement, on the binding of [3H]p-aminoclonidine to alpha 2-noradrenergic receptors and [3H]prazosin to alpha 1-noradrenergic receptors, was studied in 8 discrete hypothalamic and 5 extra-hypothalamic areas of rats. With little change in extra-hypothalamic receptors, ADX produced a large CORT-reversible decrease in alpha 2-receptor binding specifically within the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and a CORT-reversible increase within the supraoptic nucleus. alpha 1-Noradrenergic receptors, in contrast, were generally unaffected by ADX. This and other evidence leads us to propose a potential modulatory influence of circulating CORT on hypothalamic alpha 2 receptors and a specific function for this CORT-alpha 2 receptor interaction specifically within the PVN, in the control of eating behavior.
mesh_terms: D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D003000:Clonidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism*; D011224:Prazosin / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha; C016986:apraclonidine; D003000:Clonidine; D003345:Corticosterone; D009638:Norepinephrine; D011224:Prazosin