title: Ectopic expression of serotonin-positive neurons in the hypothalamus associated with a significant serotonin decrease in the midbrain of food restricted rats.
abstract: The effects of food restriction on the serotonergic system were investigated immunohistochemically in both the midbrain and hypothalamic regions of rats. Rats were fed on a restricted feeding schedule consisting of half of the ad libitum quantity for 1, 2, 4 and 6 weeks and a free feeding schedule for 1 week. The optical density of serotonin-positive neurons in the raphe nuclei of the midbrain was found to be significantly lower in the 1 week-food restricted group than in the ad libitum fed control. In the hypothalamus, serotonin-positive neurons were observed in the 1 and 2 week food restricted groups but not in the 4 and 6 week-food restricted groups. This finding was confirmed by immunohistochemistry with tryptophan hydroxylase, a serotonin synthesizing enzyme. In this study, we provide morphological evidence that food restriction has a significant effect on the serotonergic system of the midbrain and hypothalamic regions and suggest some possibilities for the ectopic expression of serotonin-positive neurons after food restriction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Kyunghee University, Kohwang Medical Research Institute, Hoegi-Dong 1, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul, 130-701, South Korea.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002828:Choristoma; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005508:Food Deprivation / Q000502:physiology*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012701:Serotonin