Denervation and hyperinnervation in the nervous system of diabetic animals. II. Monoaminergic and peptidergic alterations in the diabetic encephalopathy.
Abstract
The monoaminergic innervation of the central nervous system (CNS) is characterized by long and short projecting neurons. The neurological correlates of diabetes are usually referred to as processes of degenerative atrophy affecting motor and sensory peripheral nerves. We have found that the long serotoninergic axons innervating the spinal cord and the cerebral cortex are unaffected in diabetic animals and that the noradrenergic innervation of the cortex is normal as well. The serotonin content is doubled in the hypothalamus with no apparent alteration of 5-HIAA levels, suggesting a supernumerary innervation that is accompanied by a reduced release. In pons medulla oblongata, serotonin and dopamine with the relative metabolites 5-HIAA and DOPAC are significantly reduced, whereas noradrenaline is markedly increased. In the hippocampus, there is a reduction of serotonin content. The serotoninergic alterations are peculiar as suggested by the sparing of the most distal projections that is accompanied by hyperinnervation of the hypothalamus and the loss of shorter collaterals in the pons medulla oblongata. In the hypothalamus and in the striatum of diabetic rats, there are significant higher levels of substance P and met-enkephalin,...Continue Reading
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Effect of alloxan-induced diabetes on acetylcholinesterase activity from discrete areas of rat brain
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