AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR THE RAPID DETERMINATION OF MONOAMINES IN THE SAME BRAIN REGION

This study was undertaken to determine the levels of Norepinephrine （NE）, Dopamine （DA）, Serotonin （5-HT） and 5-Hydroxyindole-3-Acetic Acid （5-HIAA） in single brain areas by a modification of the method of Miller et al. Fluorescence was measured in a Hitachi MPF-4 spectrophoto-fluorometer at an activation and emission wavelengths of 380 mm and 495 mm for NE, 320 mm and 375 mm for DA, and 360 mm and 480 mm for both of 5-HT and 5-HIAA respectively. The sensitivity of this method was 10—35 ng, the precision, 2.3—3.4%, and the recovery percentages were 87.1±5.86% for NA, 92.5±2.5O% for DA, 97.0±2.8% for 5HT and 68.0±7.5% for 5-HIAA. This procedure appears to greatly facilitate the correlation of neurotransmitter levels in brain areas with changes in behavior produced by experimental manipulation.