Effects of both the emotional behavior and feeding conditions on the circulating plasma volume and plasma glucose levels in cats

Influence of hypothalamically induced emotional behavior on the circulating plasma volume, plasma levels of glucose, epinephrine (E), norepinephrine ( NE), dopamine (DA) and cortisol were examined in awake cats under both fast ed and fed conditions. Restlessness was evoked intermittently for 6 h by el ectrical stimulation of the anteromedial hypothalamus (AMH). Blood was samp led immediately before, 1 h after and 6 h after the start of stimulation. C hanges in the plasma volume was calculated by changes of hemoglobin (Hb) an d hematocrit (Ht). As the control group, another 7 cats with electrodes imp lanted but unstimulated were identically treated under both fasted and fed conditions. Both E and glucose levels in restlessness group once markedly i ncreased after 1 h and then tended to decrease after 6 h, whereas NE levels in restlessness group increased after 1 h and further increased after 6 h, whether cats were fasted or fed. DA levels increased under the fasted cond ition of restlessness. The cortisol level markedly increased in both fasted and fed restlessness groups. The plasma volume in control group increased under the fed condition, while in restlessness group it decreased remarkabl y and tended to decrease more in a fasted state than in a fed state. These results indicated that AMH induced restlessness elicited marked sympatho-ad renal activation, hyperglycemia and hemoconcentration, whether cats were fa sted or fed. Relationship among such responses, and the difference in respo nses between fasted and fed conditions were also discussed in the paper. (C ) 2000 Elsevier Science BN. All rights reserved.