Effects of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) reuptake inhibition plus 5-HT(2A) receptor antagonism on the firing activity of norepinephrine neurons.
YM992 [(S)-2-[[(7-fluoro-4-indanyl)oxy]methyl]morpholine monohydrochloride] is a selective serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and a potent 5-HT(2A) antagonist. The aim of the present study was to assess, using in vivo extracellular unitary recordings, the effect of acute and sustained administration of YM992 (40 mg kg(-1) day(-1) s.c., using osmotic minipumps) on the spontaneous firing activity of locus coeruleus (LC) norepinephrine (NE) neurons. Acute intravenous injection of YM992 (4 mg kg(-1)) significantly decreased NE neuron firing activity by 29% and blocked the inhibitory effect of a subsequent injection of the 5-HT(2) agonist DOI [1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane hydrochloride]. A 2-day treatment with YM992 decreased the firing rate of NE neurons by 66%, whereas a partial recovery was observed after a 7-day treatment and a complete one after a 21-day treatment. Following the injection of the alpha(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist idazoxan (1 mg kg(-1) i.v.), NE neuron firing was equalized in controls and 2-day YM992-treated rats. This put into evidence an increased degree of activation of alpha(2)-adrenergic autoreceptors in the treated rats. The suppressant effect of the alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonist clonidine was significantly decreased in long-term YM992-treated rats. The recovery of LC firing activity after long-term YM992 administration could thus be explained by a decreased sensitivity of alpha(2)-adrenergic autoreceptors. Sustained SSRI administration leads to a gradual reduction of the firing activity of NE neurons during long-term administration, whereas YM992 produced opposite effects. The exact basis for the increased synaptic availability of NE by YM992 remains to be elucidated. This NE activity, resulting from 5-HT reuptake inhibition plus 5-HT(2A) receptor antagonism, might confer additional benefits in affective and anxiety disorders.
Department of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0383, USA.
Steven T
ST
Szabo
Pierre
P
Blier
D017371:8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000662:Amphetamines / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D003000:Clonidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004594:Electrophysiology; D019329:Idazoxan / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009025:Morpholines / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D044402:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000187:drug effects*; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*
D017371:8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin; D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D000662:Amphetamines; D003000:Clonidine; D019329:Idazoxan; D009025:Morpholines; D009638:Norepinephrine; D044402:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; C105748:lubazodone hydrochloride; C015952:4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenylisopropylamine