ALTERATIONS IN BRAIN OCTOPAMINE AND BRAIN TYROSINE FOLLOWING PORTACAVAL ANASTOMOSIS IN RATS |
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| Authors: | J. H. James Jane M. Hodgman J. M. Funovics J. E. Fischer |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Abstract— Following portacaval anastomosis in the rat, plasma and brain tyrosine are markedly elevated, although brain tyrosine is increased to a significantly greater degree than plasma tyrosine. Both plasma and brain tyrosine as well as brain octopamine correlated well with a presumed index of impaired hepatic function, the ratio of liver weight to body weight in shunted rats. A significant positive correlation was observed between brain octopamine and brain tyrosine. The significance of these findings to the etiology and treatment of clinical hepatic encephalopathy is discussed. |
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