Electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of GABAergic cells in the dorsal raphe nucleus.

Yoshihiro Gocho, Atsushi Sakai, Yuchio Yanagawa, Hidenori Suzuki, Fumihito Saitow

The journal of physiological sciences : JPS 2013 Mar

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The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is the origin of the central serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] system and plays an important role in the regulation of many physiological functions such as sleep/arousal, food intake and mood. In order to understand the regulatory mechanisms of 5-HT system, characterization of the types of neurons is necessary. We performed electrophysiological recordings in acute slices of glutamate decarboxylase 67-green fluorescent protein knock-in mice. We utilized this mouse to identify visually GABAergic cells. Especially, we examined postsynaptic responses mediated by 5-HT receptors between GABAergic and serotonergic cells in the DRN. Various current responses were elicited by 5-HT and 5-HT(1A) or 5-HT(2A/2C) receptor agonists in GABAergic cells. These results suggested that multiple 5-HT receptor subtypes overlap on GABAergic cells, and their combination might control 5-HT cells. Understanding the postsynaptic 5-HT feedback mechanisms may help to elucidate the 5-HT neurotransmitter system and develop novel therapeutic approaches.

Citation

Yoshihiro Gocho, Atsushi Sakai, Yuchio Yanagawa, Hidenori Suzuki, Fumihito Saitow. Electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of GABAergic cells in the dorsal raphe nucleus. The journal of physiological sciences : JPS. 2013 Mar;63(2):147-54