Excitatory and inhibitory effects of serotonin on sensorimotor reactivity measured with acoustic startle.
Serotonin infused into the lateral ventricle in rats produced a dose-dependent depression of the acoustic startle reflex. When infused onto the spinal cord, serotonin produced a dose-dependent increase in startle. Thus the same neurotransmitter can modulate the same behavior in opposite ways, depending on which part of the central nervous system is involved.
D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D012022:Reflex, Acoustic / Q000187:drug effects*; D013216:Reflex, Startle / Q000187:drug effects*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000494:pharmacology*
D012701:Serotonin