Abstract
From an anatomical point of view, the serotonin axonal varicosities in the locus coeruleus have been defined as nonsynaptic terminals originating from the raphe dorsalis, raphe centralis, and raphe pontis. Electrolytic or chemical destruction of these serotoninergic afferents has produced pronounced increases in the activity of the noradrenaline biosynthetic enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase, in the locus coeruleus and in the noradrenaline metabolite DOPEG in the terminal field of the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. A good correlation has been observed between the depletion of serotonin and the increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the locus coeruleus after chemical denervation of serotoninergic terminals. Electrical stimulation of serotonin cell bodies has increased noradrenaline levels in the locus coeruleus and cerebral cortex. Altogether these data suggest that the function of the ascending noradrenergic system originating from the locus coeruleus might be largely dependent on its interaction with serotonin-containing neurons in the raphe system.
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