FIG. 7.

Locomotor performance, hemorrhage, and hemodynamics 3 h after norepinephrine (NE) treatment. One day after injury, rats were treated with NE or vehicle and tested for 3 h (A). Animals given NE (0.5 mg/kg) 24 h after a SCI exhibited a significant decline in locomotor performance (B). NE induced an increase in systolic BP comparable with that observed after shock treatment (C). No changes in heart rate were seen after NE treatment (D). NE caused an increase in blood flow (E). The amount of free hemoglobin in the cord was not significantly different after NE treatment (F). To illustrate how the magnitude of these effects compared with noxious electrical stimulation, we have re-plotted that data here. Error bars represent standard error of the mean (SEM) (n = 8). Asterisks indicate significance differences between groups (*p < 0.05).