To examine the effect of a central noradrenergic lesion on the reactivity of the 5-HT(1B) receptor we compared intact male rats with rats in which noradrenergic nerve terminals were largely destroyed with the neurotoxin DSP-4 (50 mg/kg x 2, on the 1st and 3rd days of postnatal life). When rats attained 10 weeks of age, control and DSP-4 rats were divided into two subgroups receiving either sali...

5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) synthesis has been determined in the rat brain by measuring the 5-[3H]HT formed from [3H]tryptophan in the presence of monoamine oxidase inhibitor. Electrical stimulation in the region of the midbrain raphe nucleus increased formation of 5-[3H]HT by over 100 per cent, although the level of endogenous 5-HT and the concentration and specific activity of tryptophan were ...

Previous investigations of the effects of parachlorophenylalanine (PCPA) on affective attack have produced equivocal results. The present report examined the effects of PCPA upon attack elicited by electrical stimulation of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus in the cat. Using a within-animals design and postdrug testing clear potentiation of affective attack patterns was observed for a numbe...

Serotonin is believed as an important factor in brain function. The role of serotonin in cerebral psycho-patho-physiology has already been well established. However, the function of serotonin antagonist in anesthetized subjects under hyperthermia has not been studied properly. Methods: Experiments were performed in three groups of urethane-anesthetized rats, such as: (i) control group, (ii) wh...

The effects of p-chlorophenylalanine, an inhibitor of serotonin synthesis, indomethacin, an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis, cyproheptadine, a serotonin, bradykinin and histamine antagonist, were assessed separately and in combination with chloroquine (CQ) in Vom strains of Swiss albino mice (18-22 g) of either sex infected intraperitoneally with 1 x 10(7) Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis-ind...

MATSUMOTO, K., M. MIZOWAKI, H. TAKAYAMA, S.-I. SAKAI, N. AIMI, AND H. WATANABE. Suppressive effect of mitragynine on the 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine-induced head-twitch response in mice. PHARMACOL BIOCHEM BEHAV 57(1/2) 319–323, 1997.—We investigated the effects of mitragynine, a major alkaloid isolated from the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa Korth (Rubiaceae), on the 5-HT2A receptor-mediated...

The human gene that codes for the protein alpha-synuclein has been transferred into the Drosophila melanogaster genome. The transgenic flies recapitulate some of the essential features of Parkinson's disease. These include the degeneration of certain dopaminergic neurons in the brain accompanied by the appearance of age-dependent abnormalities in locomotor activity. In the present study, we tes...

OBJECTIVES Studies indicate that major deficiency in the levels of monoaminergic transmitters is a reason for severe depression. On the other hand, it is shown that Carthamus tinctorius L. (CT) may improve neuropsychological injuries by regulation of the monoamine transporter action. Hence, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the involvement of monoaminergic systems in antidepressant-l...

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) exert their antidepressant action by increasing the function of the serotonin (5-HT), norepinephrine and dopamine (DA) systems. There is, however, limited electrophysiological data on the effects of MAOIs on DA neurons. The effects of 2-d and 21-d administration of three MAOIs were investigated (clorgyline, selective MAOI-A; deprenyl, selective MAOI-B; phene...