Abstract
Areas sensitive to the antinociceptive effect of intrathecally (IT) administered serotonin (5HT) were compared to sites most sensitive to the hyperalgesic effect of IT tryptamine (TA). Antinociception and hyperalgesia were determined by increases and decreases, respectively, in the latency of the tail-flick response to a radiant heat source. Drugs were injected via permanently indwelling IT cannulas. In general, the injection of TA alone into the thoracic level of the spinal cord produced the most intense hyperalgesia, while injection of 5HT produced the most pronounced antinociception in the lumbosacral area. Methysergide, which had no effect on pain-thresholds by itself, antagonized the antinociceptive effect of 5HT and potentiated TA-induced hyperalgesia in areas sensitive to 5HT-induced antinociception. The apparent hyperalgesic effect of TA is evident when applied to a variety of sites in the CNS, while the antinociceptive effect of 5HT is most effective in the area directly involved in the reflex. This suggests different mechanisms of interaction of these indoleamines with the neuronal substrates involved in nociception.
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Larson, A.A. (1985). Distribution of CNS Sites Sensitive to Tryptamine and Serotonin in Pain Processing. In: Boulton, A.A., Maitre, L., Bieck, P.R., Riederer, P. (eds) Neuropsychopharmacology of the Trace Amines. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5010-4_24
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5010-4_24
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