Effect of partial removal of frontal or parietal bone on concentrations of mRNAs coding for preprocholecystokinin and preprosomatostatin in rat neocortex.
Partial removal of the frontal or parietal bone increased concentrations of mRNAs coding for preprocholecystokinin and preprosomatostatin in rat parietotemporal cortex by more than 170 and 67%, respectively, when measured 3 days after the operation. The increases were independent of the anaesthetic agent used during the operation and were transient with a maximum usually observed 3 days after the operation. They occurred not only in areas close to or under the removed bone part, but also in more distant areas. Thus, removal of the frontal bone also enhanced levels of preprocholecystokinin- and preprosomatostatin-mRNA in the parietotemporal and occipital cortex. mRNA concentrations were increased in the inner as well as outer layers of the cortex. The possible experimental and pathophysiological implications of the observed changes in gene expression of both neuropeptides in neocortical neurons are discussed.