Effect of Cerebral Puncture on Brain Protein Synthesis in Adult and Young Rodents

Abstract
In adult mice cerebral puncture results in an inhibition of brain protein synthesis, as suggested previously by Dunn (1975). The inhibition is apparent within a few minutes but subsides by 15 min after puncture. The percent inhibition therefore depends on the length of time between the puncture and the measurement. Mice receiving a puncture were less active than controls, and a decrease in brain temperature was observed in these animals. The decrement is, however, too small to account for the inhibition of synthesis. Diphenylhydantoin had no effect on the inhibition. Cerebral puncture of young mouse (7-day-old) or rat (8-day-old) brain induced no inhibition of brain protein synthesis.