Is somatostatin or a somatostatin-like peptide involved in central nervous system control of gastric secretion?

Intracisternal injection of octapeptide analogs of somatostatin (SS), Cys-Phe-Phe-D-Trp-Lys-Thr-Phe-Cys (des-AA1,2,4,5,12,13-[D-Trp8]SS (ODT8-SS)) and Cys-Phe-Phe-D-Trp-Lys-Thr-Phe-D-Cys, increased the volume and the acid output of gastric secretion in rats. ODT8-SS given intravenously did not affect basal gastric secretion. The gastrosecretory effect of ODT8-SS, administered intracisternally is dose-dependent (0.01-1 micrograms), long acting, reversible, specific, and abolished by vagotomy, or systemic injection of atropine or SS. SS (5-10 micrograms) or [D-Trp8]SS (1 microgram) had no effect on gastric secretion when given intracisternally. These results demonstrate that some octapeptide SS analogs, unlike SS or other SS analogs, have the capability to act in the brain to induce a vagal dependent stimulation of gastric secretion.