title: Modulatory effects of serotonin on excitatory amino acid responses and sensory synaptic transmission in the ventrobasal thalamus.
abstract: Excitatory amino acid receptors are thought to mediate sensory input to the ventrobasal thalamus. There is evidence for a brainstem serotonergic projection to the ventrobasal thalamus which may have a modulatory role. The possibility that serotonin may selectively modulate responses to excitatory amino acid receptor agonists, and its effects on sensory synaptic transmission has been examined in the rat ventrobasal thalamus in vivo. Iontophoretic ejection of serotonin at low currents produced a marked facilitation of responses to excitatory amino acids. In contrast, excitatory responses to cholinomimetic agonists were attenuated. Synaptic transmission was concomitantly enhanced or unchanged in these circumstances. Higher serotonin ejection currents reversed the facilitation, or inhibited excitatory amino acid responses and synaptic transmission. It is concluded that serotonin can modulate responses to excitatory amino acids relatively selectively and that synaptic transmission of somatosensory information through the ventrobasal thalamus may be susceptible to brainstem serotonergic modulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Visual Science, Institute of Ophthalmology, London, U.K.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Eaton
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Salt
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012701:Serotonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects; D013787:Thalamic Nuclei / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D012701:Serotonin