The influence of the cerebral hemispheres on the adrenocorticotropic activity of the hypophysis

Summary

The author studied the effect of a disturbance in the normal state of the cerebral cortex on adrenocorticotropic activity of the hypophysis in rabbits. Shifts in the adrenocorticotropic activity of the hypophysis as a result of injury to the cerebral cortex were determined from changes in the androgen content in the adrenal cortex of hypophysectomized rats given extracts of these hypophyses. It was established that when silver plates are applied to the anterior part of the cortex of both hemispheres, the androgen content is diminished in the adrenal cortices of both donors and recipients; this may be regarded as an indication that the adrenocorticotropic activity of the hypophysis is reduced.

Conversely, the high androgen content in the adrenal cortex of hypophyseal extract donors and recipients following application of silver plates to the posterior cerebral cortex of donors (in comparison with the effect of hypophyseal extracts from intact animals) demonstrates that in this case the adrenocorticotropic activity of the hypophysis does not undergo substantial changes.