title: Activation of pyramidal cells in rat medial prefrontal cortex projecting to ventral tegmental area by a 5-HT1A receptor agonist.
abstract: 5-HT(1A) receptor agonists increase the activity of dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and DA release in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The mPFC is enriched in 5-HT(1A) receptors and projects to the VTA, where mesocortical dopaminergic neurons originate. We examined whether 5-HT(1A) receptor activation can modulate the activity of mPFC pyramidal neurons projecting to VTA. These were identified by antidromic stimulation from the VTA and were recorded extracellularly in anesthetized rats. The selective 5-HT(1A) agonist BAY x 3,702 (10-80 microg/kg i.v.) increased the firing rate in 14/19 neurons (283 +/- 79%) and reduced the activity of 5/19 neurons (22 +/- 11%), resulting in an overall 2.2-fold increase of the firing rate. Both effects were blocked by the selective 5-HT(1A) antagonist WAY-100635. These results suggest that the increase in dopaminergic activity produced by 5-HT(1A) receptor activation can be driven by an increase in the activity of projection neurons in mPFC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurochemistry, Institut d' Investigacions Biomèdiques de Barcelona, CSIC, IDIBAPS, Rosselló, 161, 6th floor, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Llorenç
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Díaz-Mataix
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Artigas
authors.forename: Pau
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Celada
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001578:Benzopyrans / Q000494:pharmacology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000166:cytology*; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013844:Thiazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors; D017557:Ventral Tegmental Area / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001578:Benzopyrans; D010879:Piperazines; D011725:Pyridines; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; D013844:Thiazoles; C111221:repinotan hydrochloride; C090413:N-(2-(4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl)ethyl)-N-(2-pyridinyl)cyclohexanecarboxamide; D004298:Dopamine