THE AGOUTI COAT-COLOR LOCUS MAY INFLUENCE BRAIN CATECHOLAMINES - REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN NOREPINEPHRINE AND DOPAMINE IN THE BRAINS OF 2 COLOR-MORPHS OF DEERMICE (PEROMYSCUS-MANICULATUS)

Levels of norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) were measured by HPLC from the cortex, striatum and brain stem of agouti and nonagouti deerm ice (Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis). In the brain stem, agouti anima ls exhibited significantly higher NE whereas nonagouti animals had sig nificantly higher DA. In contrast, agouti deermice had nearly twice th e DA levels of nonagouti animals in both the cortex and striatum. Leve ls of cortical and striatal NE were similar in both color morphs, alth ough NE in nonagouti animals was 8% higher and less variable. The vari ability of both NE and DA was much lower in the brain stem than in eit her the striatum or the cortex. This is the first evidence of a pleiot ropic effect of the agouti coat-color locus on brain catecholamines.