Abstract
We examined the role of excitatory amino acids (EAAs) in activation of noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) neurons evoked by electrical stimulation of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in halothane-anesthetized rats. Microinfusion of the specific N-methyl-Daspartate antagonist 2-amino-5- phosphonopentanoic acid (AP5, 50 or 100 μM) into the LC significantly suppressed LC responses evoked by mPFC stimulation. Microinfusion of the selective non-NMDA antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX, 25 or 50 μM) also significantly reduced evoked LC responses. Simultaneous microinfusion of both AP5 and CNQX considerably increased the proportion of LC neurons which exhibited complete suppression of evoked responses (81%), compared to either AP5 or CNQX alone (~ 50% each). These results indicate that LC activation by mPFC stimulation is mediated by both NMDA- and non- NMDA-type EAA channels.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 327-332 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Brain Research |
| Volume | 768 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 12 1997 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
- Molecular Biology
- Clinical Neurology
- Developmental Biology
Keywords
- 2-Amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid
- 6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione
- Excitatory amino acid
- Locus coeruleus
- Norepinephrine
- Prefrontal cortex