Electrophysiological effects of serotonin in the solitary tract nucleus of the rat

Abstract

The nucleus tractus solitarius (nTS) is an important site for the integration of visceral information and its modification by afferent neural systems. One such afferent system arises from the raphe nuclei. This study investigated the electrophysiological effects of the primary transmitter of the raphe nuclei, serotonin (5-HT), on neurones in the nTS of the rat. Extracellular single unit recordings were made of the spontaneous activity of nTS neurones in isolated, superfused brainstem slices during bath-application of 5-HT (50, 100, 250, 500, 1000 nM). Twenty-seven of 46 neurones studied (≈90%) showed concentration-dependent decreases of firing rate, with a calculated EC₅₀ of 261 nM. An additional 3 neurones displayed excitatory responses, while the remaining 16 were unaffected. The broad-spectrum 5-HT₁ antagonist methysergide (200 nM) was highly effective in producing blockade of 5-HT-evoked depressions of neuronal activity (4 of 4), whereas the 5-HT_1A receptor-selective antagonist spiroxatrine (5 nM) and the 5-HT₂-selective antagonist mianserin (200 nM) were considerably less effective (1 of 5 and 2 of 5, respectively). Seven additional neurones were examined during exposure to the 5-HT₁-selective agonist 5-carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT) or the 5-HT₂-selective agonist DOI. 5-CT depressed the activity of three of the four neurones tested, the remaining neurone being unresponsive at concentrations up to 50 nM. DOI at concentrations up to 100 nM failed to affect the activity of two of the three neurones tested, and depressed the activity of the third at a concentration of 50 nM. These data provide electrophysiological evidence of the presence of 5-HT, serotonergic receptors in the nTS, and suggest that 5-HT primarily has a depressent effect on the activity of individual neurones in the nTS.