Hippocampal serotonin depletion unmasks differences in the hyperlocomotor effects of phencyclidine and MK-801: quantitative versus qualitative analyses
Frontiers in Pharmacology January 1, 2013 Wendy K. Adams, Adam L. Halberstadt, Maarten van den Buuse 11 citations
Blocking NMDA receptors with phencyclidine (PCP) can produce schizophrenia-like symptoms in humans, but PCP also affects other systems. Rats with serotonin-depleting lesions in the dorsal hippocampus showed increased hyperactivity from PCP but not from the more selective NMDA blocker MK-801. Lesions in the ventral hippocampus had no effect. PCP and MK-801 both made the rats' movement paths smoother and less predictable, but the dorsal hippocampus lesions did not alter these qualitative effects for PCP, though they slightly reduced MK-801's effect on unpredictability. The results reveal a functional difference between PCP and MK-801 related to serotonin in the dorsal hippocampus, relevant to schizophrenia research.