The involvement of nigral serotonin innervation in the control of punishment-induced behavioral inhibition in rats.
In rats, serotonergic innervation of the substantia nigra plays a role in the control of experimentally-elicited anxiety: punishment-induced inhibition is lessened following bilateral intra-nigral infusion of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (2 micrograms; 0.5 microliter). A significant correlation (0.62) is found between the loss of nigral, but not hippocampal, tryptophan hydroxylase activity and the release of behavior in two situations of shock-induced suppression of responding. Likewise, infusion of this neurotoxin (1 microgram; 0.4 microliter) into the nucleus raphé dorsalis causes an attenuation of punishment-induced suppression. These findings suggest an involvement of serotonergic raphé-nigral neurons in experimentally-elicited anxiety.
D015116:5,7-Dihydroxytryptamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology; D004327:Drinking Behavior; D004597:Electroshock; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011678:Punishment; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014365:Tryptophan Hydroxylase / Q000378:metabolism
D015116:5,7-Dihydroxytryptamine; D012701:Serotonin; D014365:Tryptophan Hydroxylase