ISSN:
1471-4159
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract: The visualization of serotonin, 5-methoxytryptamine, and tryptamine in the rat midbrain has been made possible by the development of antibodies raised against these conjugated molecules. It has been suggested that 6-hydroxytryptamine (6-HT) might also be a neurotransmitter in this region. To test this hypothesis, 6-HT was synthesized and antibodies were raised in the rabbit. The high avidity (IC50= 5 × 10–9M) and specificity [cross-reactivity ratio between 6-HT–glutaraldehyde (G)–bovine serum albumin (BSA) and 5-HT–G–BSA, the most immunoreactive compound, was 1,500] rendered these antibodies reliable tools for specific molecular detection of 6-HT in the G-fixed tissues. In the dopaminergic region, 6-HT immunoreactivity was noted in the substantia nigra but was particularly intense in the red nuclei, where it seems to be localized in the magnocellular division in the form of large 6-HT neurons. In contrast, there were few 6-HT neurons in the raphe nuclei. Thus, 6-HT may be a new putative neurotransmitter existing in the red nuclei, in addition to the other neurotransmitters already described in this region, in the nigrorubral pathway, and in the rubral projection from the dorsal raphe nuclei. 6-HT is possibly implicated in motor control and might exert hallucinogenic properties as do other 6-hydroxylated indoleamines.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-4159.1992.tb11341.x
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