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Recently, we described neurones in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) with electrophysiological characteristics typical of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) neurones except that the neurones fired brief bursts. Here we report the effect of 5-HT lesions on the incidence of these burst-firing neurones. In vivo extracellular recordings revealed that in rats pretreated with the selective 5-HT neurotoxin, 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine, the occurrence of typical 5-HT neurones was significantly decreased (80%) compared to controls. In these 5-HT lesioned animals, the number of the burst-firing DRN neurones was also significantly reduced (91%). Neurones previously characterised as not containing 5-HT, were not altered by the lesion. These data are further evidence to support our hypothesis that burst-firing neurones in the DRN contain 5-HT.

Type

Journal article

Journal

Neurosci Lett

Publication Date

09/02/1996

Volume

204

Pages

161 - 164

Keywords

5,7-Dihydroxytryptamine, Animals, Coloring Agents, Electrophysiology, Male, Neurons, Periodicity, Raphe Nuclei, Rats, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Serotonin, Serotonin Agents