Effects of low doses of intracerebroventricular 6-OHDA on the levels of monoaminergic neurotransmitters in rat brain structures

The objective of this study was to determine the degree and specificity of noradrenergic lesions in different areas of the rat brain after intracerebroventricular administration of low doses of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into both lateral ventricles. Our interest focused on the induction of an effective hypothalamic lesion. The results suggest that small doses of 6-OHDA (25 or 50 mu g per ventricle) could effectively damage the noradrenergic system in the hypothalamus without significant interfering with the dopamine level and with only a modest reduction in the serotonin concentration.