Monoamine and metabolite levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of hibernating and euthermic marmots

Abstract

SUMMARY  Cerebrospinal fluid from yellow‐bellied marmots, Marmota flaviventris, was analysed for monoamine and monoamine metabolite content during euthermia and deep hibernation. Dopamine (DA) levels were decreased, while DA metabolite levels, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA), were dramatically increased in hibernating marmots. Serotonin (5‐HT) and 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA) levels were also greatly enhanced during hibernation while norepinephrine (NE) levels were only moderately increased. These findings demonstrate that cerebrospinal monoamine levels are dynamically altered during hibernation, such that DA versus 5‐HT and NE levels undergo opposite changes. Therefore, these data indicate that DA, 5‐HT and NE neuronal systems are differentially altered during hibernation in mammals. © 1992 European Sleep Research Society