Serotonergic basis of reward in median raphé of the rat.
Rats were trained to self-stimulate simultaneously in the ventromedian tegmentum (VMT) and the median raphe (MR) by pressing two independent bars. Bar-pressing rates for VMT self-stimulation (SS) were increased following methamphetamine and decreased following alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine while no appreciable effects were observed on SS in the MR. On the other hand, MR SS was specifically decreased following para-chlorophenylalanine. The above results taken together support the hypothesis that SS in the MR is due to the stimulation of serotonergic neuronal elements.
D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000032:analysis; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D010134:Fenclonine / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D008781:Methyltyrosines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D012653:Self Stimulation / Q000502:physiology*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
D002395:Catecholamines; D008781:Methyltyrosines; D012701:Serotonin; D008694:Methamphetamine; D010134:Fenclonine