[Kinetic evaluation of the adrenocortical response to telemetric stimulation of the hypothalamus in thalamic pigeons]

Kinetic evaluation of the adrenocortical activation induced after hypothalamic stimulation was obtained by determining plasma corticosterone levels (protein binding assay) at 2, then 5 and 10 min intervals for 100 min. Chronic catheterization and an electronic miniature device for hypothalamic telestimulation allowed for avoiding any environmental disturbance. Plasma corticosterone was rapidly increasing up to a peak (x 4 basal initial level) at 14 min after stimulating the hypothalamus for one sec. Corticosteronemia was then decreasing to resting level within one hour. This response was approximately the same in intact as in thalamic pigeons.