Abstract
Norepinephrine was infused intravenously in two groups of normal, awake rats. In one group local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU) was measured by the deoxyglucose method (Sokoloff et al. 1977b); in the other group local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) was determined by the iodoantipyrine method (Sakurada et al. 1978). The experiments were performed during a stable state in which the heart rate was reduced between 36% (LCGU experiments) and 27% (LCBF experiments). Norepinephrine infusion reduced LCGU in all 39 structures measured between −18 and −37% from control values obtained in a group of normal non-infused rats. The decrease in LCGU was significant (P<0.05) in 38 of the 39 structures tested. LCBF was increased but not statistically significantly in most of the structures examined. When the LCGU values of the various structures during norepinephrine infusion were correlated with their corresponding LCBF values, a tight correlation (r=0.94) was found indicating a close coupling between LCGU and LCBF during norepinephrine infusion. When compared to the relationship between LCGU and LCBF in a normal, non-infused control group, the slope of the regression line was increased significantly (P<0.01) by the norepinephrine infusion, indicating a resetting of the coupling mechanism. This means that, at a given metabolic rate, a higher blood flow is needed to perfuse a brain structure during norepinephrine infusion than during control conditions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bergmeyer HU (1970) Methoden der enzymatischen Analyse. Verlag Chemie. Weinheim, pp 1772–1775
Berntman L, Dahlgren N, Siesjö BK (1978) Influence of intravenously administered catecholamines on cerebral oxygen consumption and blood flow in the rat. Acta Physiol Scand 104:101–108
Bonvallet M, Dell P, Hiebel G (1954) Tonus sympathique et activité électrique corticale. EEG Clin Neurophysiol 6:119–144
Dahlgren N, Rosén I, Sakabe T, Siesjö BK (1980) Cerebral functional, metabolic and circulatory effects of intravenous infusion of adrenaline in the rat. Brain Res 184:143–152
Edvinsson L, MacKenzie ET (1976) Amine mechanism in the cerebral circulation. Pharmacol Rev 28:275–348
Goochee C, Rasband W, Sokoloff L (1980) Computerized densitometry and color coding of [14C]deoxyglucose autoradiographs. Ann Neurol 7:359–370
Gottstein U (1962) Der Hirnkreislauf unter dem Einfluß vasoaktiver Substanzen. Hüthig, Heidelberg
Greenfield JC Jr, Tindall GT (1968) Effect of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and angiotensin on blood flow in the internal carotid artery of man. J Clin Invest 47:1672–1684
Hardebo JE, Owman Ch (1980) Barrier mechanisms for neurotransmitter monoamines and their precursors at the blood-brain interface. Ann Neurol 8:1–11
Kelly PAT, McCulloch J (1981) Cerebral blood flow and glucose utilization following dopaminergic and GABAergic manipulation (abstract). J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 1 (Suppl. 1):S317-S318
King BD, Sokoloff L, Wechsler RL (1952) The effects ofl-epinephrine andl-norepinephrine upon cerebral circulation and metabolism in man. J Clin Invest 31:273–279
Kuschinsky W, Wahl M (1978) Local chemical and neurogenic regulation of cerebral vascular resistance. Physiol Rev 58:656–689
Kuschinsky W, Suda S, Sokoloff L (1981) Local cerebral glucose utilization and blood flow during metabolic acidosis. Am J Physiol 241:H772-H777
MacKenzie ET, McCulloch K, O'Keane M, Pickard JD, Harper AM (1976) Cerebral circulation and norepinephrine: relevance of the blood-brain barrier. Am J Physiol 231:483–488
Myers MG, Norris JW, Hachinski VC, Sole MJ (1981) Plasma norepinephrine in stroke. Stroke 12:200–204
Ohata M, Sundaram U, Fredericks WR, London ED, Rapoport SI (1981) Regional cerebral blood flow during development and ageing of the rat brain. Brain 104:319–332
Olesen J (1972) The effect of intracarotid epinephrine, norepinephrine, and angiotensin on the regional cerebral blood flow in man. Neurology 22:978–987
Pickard JD, Kelly PAT, Grome JJ, McCulloch J (1981) Prostaglandin mechanisms and the relationship between local cerebral glucose utilization and local blood flow (abstract). J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 1 (Suppl. 1):S291-S292
Sakurada O, Kennedy C, Jehle J, Brown JD, Carbin GL, Sokoloff L (1978) Measurement of local cerebral blood flow with iodo[14C]antipyrine. Am J Physiol 234:H59-H66
Schuier F, Orzi F, Suda S, Kennedy C, Sokoloff L (1981) The lumped constant for the [14C]deoxyglucose method in hyperglycemic rats. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 1 (Suppl. 1):S63
Sensenbach W, Madison L, Ochs L (1953) A comparison of the effects ofl-nor-epinephrine, syntheticl-epinephrine, and U.S.P. epinephrine upon cerebral blood flow and metabolism in man. J Clin Invest 32:226–232
Sercombe R, Aubineau P, Edvinsson L, Mamo H, Owman Ch, Pinard E, Seylaz J (1975) Neurogenic influence on local cerebral blood flow. Neurology 25:954–963
Siesjö BK (1978) Brain energy metabolism. John Wiley & Sons, New York
Sokoloff L (1974) Changes in enzyme activities in neural tissues with maturation and development of the nervous system. In: Schmidt FO, Worden FG (eds) The neurosciences: third study program. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass, pp 885–898
Sokoloff L (1978) Local cerebral energy metabolism: its relationships to local functional activity and blood flow. In: Purves MJ, Elliott K (eds) Cerebral vascular smooth muscle and its control. Ciba Foundation Symposium 56. Elsevier/Excerpta Medica/North Holland, Amsterdam, pp 171–197
Sokoloff L, Fitzgerald GG, Kaufman EE (1977a) Cerebral nutrition and energy metabolism. In: Wurtman RJ, Wurtman JJ (eds) Nutrition and the brain, vol 1. Raven Press, New York, pp 87–139
Sokoloff L, Reivich M, Kennedy C, Des Rosiers MH, Patlak CS, Pettigrew KD, Sakurada O, Shinohara M (1977b) The [14C]deoxyglucose method for the measurement of local cerebral glucose utilization: theory, procedure, and normal values in the conscious and anesthetized albino rat. J Neurochem 28:897–916
Stone TW, Taylor DA (1978) Interactions between guanine derivatives and norepinephrine on neurones of the mammalian cerebral cortex. Brain Res 155:187–191
Wahl M, Kuschinsky W, Bosse O, Olesen J, Lassen NA, Ingvar DH, Michaelis J, Thurau K (1972) Effect ofl-norepinephrine on the diameter of pial arterioles and arteries in the cat. Circ Res 31:248–256
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
W. Kuschinsky was supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kuschinsky, W., Suda, S., Bünger, R. et al. The effects of intravenous norepinephrine on the local coupling between glucose utilization and blood flow in the rat brain. Pflugers Arch. 398, 134–138 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00581061
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00581061