Distribution and neurochemical characterization of neurons within the nucleus of the solitary tract responsive to serotonin agonist-induced hypophagia.

ABSTRACT: Pharmacological compounds enhancing serotonergic tone significantly decrease food intake and are among the most clinically efficacious treatments for obesity. However, the central mechanisms through which serotonergic compounds modulate feeding behavior have not been fully defined. The primary relay center receiving visceral gastrointestinal information in the central nervous system is the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in the caudal brainstem. Here we investigated whether the classic anorectic serotonin receptor agonist m-chloro-phenylpiperazine (mCPP) enhances the activity of metabolically sensitive NTS neurons. Using c-fos immunoreactivity (FOS-IR) as a marker of neuronal activation in rats, we observed that mCPP significantly and dose-dependently activated a discrete population of

SUBMITTER: Lam DD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2614086 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature