Enzymatic Synthesis of Adrenaline in Mammalian Brain

ADRENALINE given intraventricularly or intravenously has powerful physiological and psychological effects on the central nervous system. Although work in this laboratory and elsewhere suggests that a small amount of adrenaline may reach the brain from the peripheral circulation1,2, the amount is not enough to account for the endogenous concentrations of adrenaline that have been reported3,4. It therefore became of interest to study the uptake, metabolism and synthesis of adrenaline by mammalian brain. We have found that adrenaline is synthesized in the brain.