Variations in brain and heart acetylcholine content in rat: cervical dislocation vs guillotine technique.

The stress induced in animals due to handling prior to sacrifice has been shown to produce changes in total acetylcholine (Ach) content of the brain and heart of adult rats. Two methods of killing the animals were compared viz. cervical dislocation and decapitation by a guillotine technique; the former method producing more handling stress than the latter. Ach levels were significantly lower both in brain and heart when the animals were killed by cervical dislocation.