Inescapable shock activates serotonergic neurons in all raphe nuclei of rat.
Animal studies examining the effects of stress upon brain serotonergic neurons have not presented a clearcut and consistent picture. One stressor that has been shown to exert a consistently strong effect on serotonin release and c-fos activation in the dorsal raphe nucleus of rats is a series of inescapable electrical shocks. Using immunohistochemical double labeling for c-fos activation and serotonin, we examined the effects of delivering 100 inescapable tailshocks to rats on serotonergic neuronal activation throughout the brainstem raphe system. This stimulus exerted a consistent and strong activation of the entire midline brain stem system of serotonergic neurons. The implications of these findings for animal models of human psychopathology are discussed.
Takase
Luiz F
LF
Departmento de Anatomia, Instituto de Ciências Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo SP, Brazil.
Nogueira
Maria Ines
MI
Baratta
Michael
M
Bland
Sondra T
ST
Watkins
Linda R
LR
Maier
Steven F
SF
Fornal
Casimir A
CA
Jacobs
Barry L
BL
D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D004597:Electroshock / Q000379:methods*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects*; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000166:cytology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*
D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D012701:Serotonin