title: Alteration in antinociception, locomotion and brain monoamine synthesis in rats with portacaval shunts.
abstract: Rats with portacaval shunt, although showing no changes in their spontaneous pain threshold, did display an increased sensitivity of analgesic responses to morphine injection. In addition, these portacaval-shunted animals had a lower level of spontaneous motor activity and a reduced sensitivity of locomotor stimulant responses to amphetamine administration. However, these portacaval-shunted animals displayed same thermoregulatory responses to various ambient temperatures as those of normal unoperated or sham-operated animals. Biochemical examination revealed that these portacaval-shunted animals had a higher indoleamine synthesis in both the hypothalamus and the brain stem, but had a lower catecholamine synthesis in both the hypothalamus and the corpus striatum. The data suggest that alterations in antinociceptive and locomotor stimulant responses of the portacaval-shunted animals correlate with patterns of monoamine synthesis in different brain regions (patterns that differed from those observed in normal unoperated animals or in sham-operated animals).
mesh_terms: D006916:5-Hydroxytryptophan / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000698:Analgesia; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D011167:Portacaval Shunt, Surgical; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine; D006916:5-Hydroxytryptophan