Evidence for Hormonal Participation in the Natriuretic and Kaliuretic Responses to Intraventricular Hypertonic Saline and Norepinephrine

To examine if hypothalamic or pituitary hormones are involved in the induction of the natriuresis which follows the injection of hypertonic saline or norepinephrine into the third ventricle, lesions were placed in the median eminence and the responses to intraventricular norepinephrine or hypertonic saline were evaluated. Sham lesions in which the electrode was lowered into the brain but stopped short of the hypothalamic region did not interfere with the natriuresis, kaliuresis, and antidiuresis induced by the third ventricular injection of either hypertonic sodium chloride or norepinephrine. Lesions in the median eminence which induced diabetes insipidus as evidenced by an increase in water consumption to approximately four times normal completely abolished the natriuresis and kaliuresis in response to intraventricular hypertonic saline or norepinephrine and diminished the antidiuresis. The observations suggest the possibility that a natriuretic hormone(s) is involved in the induction of central natriuresis.