Effect of Pinealectomy in the Electrical Responses of Hypothalamic Neurones to the Application of Melatonin (original) (raw)

1981

Abstract

The effects of locally applied melatonin on single neurones in the preoptic and anterior hypothalamic areas of both rats and Syrian hamsters were evaluated. Responses of units in pinealectomised animals were compared with those obtained in sham operated animals. A total of 67 nerve cells were tested with melatonin, 29 in rats and 38 in hamsters. In rats, both excitatory and inhibitory responses to melatonin were observed regardless of whether the animals were pinealectomised or sham operated. In the sham operated hamsters, 70% of the cells tested responded to melatonin with an increased frequency of electrical discharge, whereas only inhibitory responses (67% of the cells tested) were recorded in pinealectomised animals. The results are consistent with the concept that the action of melatonin on the hypothalamus of intact hamsters is dependent on the level of activity of the pineal gland.

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