Abstract
Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of various neuropsychiatric disorders. In the present study, the effects of alcohol and nicotine on the synthesis of 5-HT and the expression of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), the rate-limiting enzyme of 5-HT synthesis, in the dorsal and median raphe of young rats were investigated via immunohistochemistry. The numbers of the 5-HT-positive and TPH-positive cells were reduced by alcohol and nicotine treatment in a dose-dependent manner. Based on the results, it can be suggested that the pathogenesis of alcohol- and nicotine-induced neuropsychological disorders involves alcohol- and nicotine-induced suppression of 5-HT synthesis and TPH expression in raphe, and that this may be of particular relevance in the consumption of alcohol and nicotine during adolescence.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 141-144 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Neuroscience Letters |
Volume | 329 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 30 2002 |
Keywords
- Adolescence
- Alcohol
- Nicotine
- Raphe nuclei
- Serotonin
- Tryptophan hydroxylase
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)