Diurnal fluctuations of endogenous RNA polymerases activity were studied in the cell nucleus of the cerebral stem and spinal nervous system populations (neurocytes of the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei, superior cervical ganglia, spinal ganglia L5, motoneurones of the spinal cord and Purkinje cells) were revealed. The acrophases of the visual cortex neurones were observed just before light reception.

Partial "sympathectomy" in the neonatal BALB mice was achieved by the treatment with guanethidine. The number of neurons in the stellate ganglion decreased to 20% of the control values and remained constant throughout the subsequent period of 1 month. Partial "chemical sympathectomy" did not affect the postnatal growth and development of the lungs. Partial "chemical sympathectomy" significantly increased the number of secreting cells in bronchiolar and alveolar regions. Secretory activity of the alveolocyte population, type two, synthetizing and secreting surfactant also increased. It has been concluded that the partial "chemical sympathectomy" stimulated the alveolar surfactant secretion.

Guanethidine (30 mg/kg daily for first 15 days of life) decreased by 85% the amount of cells in the rat upper cervical sympathetic ganglion for 4 months. In ageing, the volume of the ganglion's cells, the density of adrenergic fibers and the noradrenaline content in the heart, intestine and ductus deferens increased in the desympathized animals. The neural cells remaining after desympathization seem to develop a growth of axons and to restore to some extent the density of sympathetic innervation of the periphery. The firing rate of single preganglionic fibers of the cervical sympathetic nerve is increased in the desympathized animals. The increased firing rate seems to be the cause of changes in the surviving neurons.

Partial sympathectomy of neonatal rats was produced by treatment with guanethidine. The number of neurons of the superior cervical ganglion decreased to 15% of control values and remained constant throughout the subsequent observation period of 4 months. The volume of the remaining neuronal perikarya increased faster than that of control animals during the observation period, and the density of adrenergic innervation of the iris and the noradrenaline content of the heart were found to partially recover after the initial decrease produced by the guanethidine treatment, reaching 33% and 30% of control values, respectively, after 4 months. The noradrenaline content of the duct of the vas deferens was greatly reduced by guanethidine treatment, but almost recovered after 4 months. The frequency of sympathetic preganglionic impulses was elevated throughout the 4 months observation period, and it is suggested that this increase is responsible for the compensatory changes in cell volume, terminal density and terminal noradrenaline content of the remaining neurons.

This discusses a study to examine the restoration of functional activity of adrenergic system in partially sympathectomized rats. After two-week administration of guanethidine to newborn rats, about 15% of neurons were left in the superior cervical ganglion. In 2-week-old sympathectomized rats, NA content in the myocardium, small intestine and vas deferens fell, respectively, to 3%, 11%, and 2% of control; no sympathetic nerve terminals were found. After partial sypathectomy in rats, there occurs an increase in the density of sympathetic nerve terminals and that in NA content in the tissues. At the same time, the adrenoceptor sensitivity to NA returns to the control level.

An autoradiographic analysis was made of the dynamics of synthesis of nuclear and cytoplasmic RNA by sympathetic neurons of presenile mice subjected to partial desympathization during the first days after birth by injection of guanethidine. Neurons from a population with a sharply reduced number of cells have lower rates of migration of newly synthesized RNA from nucleus into cytoplasm than in the corresponding age control. Neurons of partially desympathized animals of infantile, juvenile, and presenile ages are no larger than the cell bodies of control mice.