PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - W. W. Fleming TI - A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SUPERSENSITIVITY TO NOREPINEPHRINE AND ACETYLCHOLINE PRODUCED BY DENERVATION, DECENTRALIZATION AND RESERPINE DP - 1963 Aug 01 TA - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics PG - 173--179 VI - 141 IP - 2 4099 - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/141/2/173.short 4100 - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/141/2/173.full SO - J Pharmacol Exp Ther1963 Aug 01; 141 AB - The optimum schedule of reserpine pretreatment for producing supersensitivity of the nictitating membrane of the cat has been determined to be 0.1 mg/kg/day for 14 days and the maximum shift of the dose-response curve which chronic reserpine treatment can produce has been established. The increase in sensitivity to norepinephrine resulting from this pretreatment with reserpine is quantitatively the same as that which occurs after decentralization. The combination of decentralization plus reserpine for 14 days induces an increase in sensitivity to norepinephrine which is greater than the sensitivity increase which results from either procedure alone but much less than the very great increase in sensitivity caused by denervation. On the other hand, the supersensitivity to acetylcholine which results from denervation is of more moderate degree, being quantitatively identical to the supersensitivity to acetylcholine induced by the combination of decentralization plus reserpine. On the basis of the results, it is suggested that denervation supersensitivity of the nictitating membrane involves at least two entirely separate mechanisms. One of these is moderate in degree and nonspecific, presumably the same as that produced by decentralization or by prolonged treatment with reserpine. The other involves an additional increase in the sensitivity specifically to norepinephrine and a few closely related amines.