Norepinephrine levels in experimental spinal cord trauma

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Abstract
Levels of norepinephrine (NE) in the spinal cord tissue of nontraumatized cats were highest in the cervical and lumbar enlargements. A rather uniform but slightly increasing concentration gradient from cephalad to caudad was observed in the thoracic segments. A 500 gm-cm trauma at the T-5 or C-7 spinal cord segment did not demonstrate any significant increase in NE levels measured sequentially over a 4 h period after trauma. Dopamine levels could not be detected in the nontraumatized or traumatized cat spinal cords. Four traumatized cats treated with .alpha.-methyl tyrosine, a tryosine hydroxylase inhibitor, and followed clinically for 5 mo. showed no improvement in neurological function when compared to untreated traumatized cats. This does not support the norepinephrine hypothesis of experimental spinal cord trauma.