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Effect of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine on serotonergic control of prolactin secretion and behavior in rats

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Abstract

The intracisternal administration of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) to rats resulted in a potentiated response to 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) when the animals were tested 30 days later. The 5-HTP-induced changes include elevation of serum prolactin decrease in operant responding, and the magnitude of the “serotonin behavioral syndrome” observed after 5-HTP administration. The serotonin concentration in brains of 5,7-DHT-treated animals reached maximum earlier and remained elevated longer than that of controls following administration of 5-HTP. Brain norepinephrine and dopamine concentration were not affected by 5-HTP in either group of animals. The increase in serum prolactin concentration elicited by administration of the serotonergic agonists quipazine or 5-methyxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine and by the serotonin uptake inhibitor fenfluramine also was potentiated by pretreating rats with 5,7-DHT. These data suggest that both serotonergic receptor supersensitivity and the absence of presynaptic uptake sites contribute to the enhanced responses to 5-HTP occurring in rats previously treated with 5,7-DHT. The findings further demonstrate that both behavioral and hormonal measures can be used to assess the sensitivity of serotonergic receptors and indicate that 5,7-DHT may be useful in evaluating the role of serotonergic neurons in neuroendocrine function.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3813, 27710, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    Cynthia M. Kuhn & Saul M. Schanberg

  2. Departments of Psychiatry, Pharmacology and Anesthesiology, Biological Sciences and Research Center of the Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 27514, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    Richard A. Vogel, Richard B. Mailman, Robert A. Mueller & George R. Breese

Authors
  1. Cynthia M. Kuhn
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  2. Richard A. Vogel
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  3. Richard B. Mailman
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  4. Robert A. Mueller
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  5. Saul M. Schanberg
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  6. George R. Breese
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Kuhn, C.M., Vogel, R.A., Mailman, R.B. et al. Effect of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine on serotonergic control of prolactin secretion and behavior in rats. Psychopharmacology 73, 188–193 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429216

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429216

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