title: Behavioural and microdialysis study after neurotoxic lesion of the dorsal raphe nucleus in rats.
abstract: The study investigated the effects of a 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) lesion of the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) on anxiety-related behaviour and neurochemical correlates in rats. Behaviour was assessed in the elevated plus maze test (X-maze). Lesion of the DRN reduced markedly 5-HT levels in projection areas by at least 60%. Destruction of the serotonergic neurons in the DRN changed neither anxiety-related behaviour on the elevated plus maze, nor aversion-induced 5-HT release in the brain. Exposure of the lesioned rats to the elevated plus maze increased extracellular 5-HT (148%) in the ventral hippocampus similar as in sham-lesioned (162%) and non-lesioned (160%) controls. The results demonstrate that lesioning of 5-HT neurons in the DRN does not abolish totally the control of anxiety-related behaviour.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Koserstr. 20, D-14195, Berlin, Germany. andrerex@zedat.fu-berlin.de
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rex
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Heide
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hörtnagl
authors.forename: Mechthild
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Voits
authors.forename: Heidrun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fink
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D017551:Microdialysis / Q000379:methods*; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012701:Serotonin