Effects of blinding and pinealectomy on regional brain monoamine concentrations

The effects of blinding with or without pineal ablation on brain monoamine levels were studied in male rats. Brain dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E), and serotonin (5-HT) were measured by radioenzymatic assays. Four weeks following pinealectomy, E levels were significantly enhanced in the frontal cortex. Chronic blinding decreased striatal DA levels and increased striatal 5-HT levels in both sham-operated and pinealectomized (Px) animals. In a second experiment Px animals were sacrificed 1 or 7 d after pinealectomy in order to examine the short-term effects of pinealectomy. There were no differences between controls and Px animals in their cortical levels of DA, NE, and E and their hippocampal and hypothalamic 5-HT levels. However, the E concentrations measured 1 d after surgery were significantly greater than after 7 d. The implications of these findings with regard to the reported role of the pineal and melatonin in brain homeostasis and endocrine regulation are discussed.