FUNCTIONAL-ASPECTS OF 5-HYDROXYTRYPTAMINE NEURONS - APPLICATION OF ELECTROCHEMICAL MONITORING INVIVO

5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is an established neurotransmitter candidate with a welldescribed neuronal distribution in the brain and a variety of proposed physiological roles, ranging from the modulation of circadian activity rhythms to involvement in sexual behaviour. Disorders of 5-HT neurones may also contribute to the aetiology of various mental diseases. There is, however, no information directly linking 5-HT neuronal activity with particular behavioural events. Electrochemical methods, originally developed by Ralph Adams at Kansas University, can be used to monitor 5-HT release in the freely moving rat and relate changes in its release to drug-induced behavioural effects. The technique, with which one can also measure catecholamine release, should provide important information on the role of 5-HT in the brain and its interaction with other putative CNS neurotransmitters. © 1979.