Differential pulse voltammetric determination of 5-hydroxyindoles in four raphe nuclei of chronic freely moving rats simultaneously recorded by polygraphic technique: physiological changes with vigilance states

Neuromolecular Imaging Shows Temporal Synchrony Patterns between Serotonin and Movement within Neuronal Motor Circuits in the Brain

The present discourse links the electrical and chemical properties of the brain with neurotransmitters and movement behaviors to further elucidate strategies to diagnose and treat brain disease. Neuromolecular imaging (NMI), based on electrochemical principles, is used to detect serotonin in nerve terminals (dorsal and ventral striata) and somatodendrites (ventral tegmentum) of reward/motor mesocorticolimbic and nigrostriatal brain circuits. Neuronal release of serotonin is detected at the same time and in the same animal, freely moving and unrestrained, while open-field behaviors are monitored via infrared photobeams. The purpose is to emphasize the unique ability of NMI and the BRODERICK PROBE^® biosensors to empirically image a pattern of temporal synchrony, previously reported, for example, in Aplysia using central pattern generators (CPGs), serotonin and cerebral peptide-2. Temporal synchrony is reviewed within the context of the literature on central pattern generators, neurotransmitters and movement disorders. Specifically, temporal synchrony data are derived from studies on psychostimulant behavior with and without cocaine while at the same time and continuously, serotonin release in motor neurons within basal ganglia, is detected. The results show that temporal synchrony between the neurotransmitter, serotonin and natural movement occurs when the brain is NOT injured via, e.g., trauma, addictive drugs or psychiatric illness. In striking contrast, in the case of serotonin and cocaine-induced psychostimulant behavior, a different form of synchrony and also asynchrony can occur. Thus, the known dysfunctional movement behavior produced by cocaine may well be related to the loss of temporal synchrony, the loss of the ability to match serotonin in brain with motor activity. The empirical study of temporal synchrony patterns in humans and animals may be more relevant to the dynamics of motor circuits and movement behaviors than are studies of static parameters currently relied upon within the realms of science and medicine. There are myriad applications for the use of NMI to discover clinically relevant diagnoses and treatments for brain disease involving the motor system.

In vivo voltammetry: from wire to wireless measurements

A novel telemetric system based on either differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) or direct current amperometry (DCA) by using a diffused infrared transmission channel is presented. Unlike similar pre-existing instruments based on infrared transmission, the present system works on a single-way communication, thus avoiding problems related to cross-talking between two-way channels. The infrared channel is also immune from electromagnetic interferences from the surrounding environment. Further advancement is the development of an original miniaturised system (dimension 1cm x 1.2 cm x 0.5 cm) with reduced weight (5-6 g), suitable for affixing to the rat head and allowing real time telemetric monitoring using DCA sampling of neurotransmitters such as dopamine or serotonin every 100 ms. The set-up is based on a transmitter (TX) circuit mounted on the animal's head and connected to the electrodes inserted into its brain. The TX circuit generates the proper electrical signals for DPV or DCA, collects the electrical response of the brain and transmits it, via an infrared channel, to a receiving station (RX) interfaced with a personal computer. The PC performs the sampling and elaboration of polarographic traces in a flexible and programmable way.

Effect of sleep and sleep deprivation on serotonergic neurotransmission in the hippocampus: a combined in vivo microdialysis/EEG study in rats

Brainstem serotonergic neurotransmission is implicated in sleep regulation. However, the role of serotonin (5-HT) in forebrain regions in sleep-wake mechanisms is still unclear. Here, we have investigated, using a combined in vivo microdialysis/electroencephalogram method, the relationship between hippocampal 5-HT levels and sleep-wake behaviour in the rat. A clear-cut relationship was found between hippocampal 5-HT levels and vigilance state. The highest levels of 5-HT were observed during wakefulness, whereas a progressive decrease of 5-HT going from nonrapid eye movement sleep to rapid eye movement sleep was found. Sleep deprivation (SD) causes a transient enhancement of mood in depressed patients. Given the putative role of 5-HT in the aetiology of depression and the therapeutical efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in this illness, we also studied hippocampal 5-HT during 4 h of SD and during the subsequent recovery period. During the whole SD period, 5-HT levels were elevated substantially when compared to 5-HT levels during basal wakefulness. However, no changes in 5-HT levels and the relationship between hippocampal 5-HT and vigilance state were found during the subsequent recovery period. As SD is a potentially stressful experience and glucocorticoids are involved in the regulation of serotonergic neurotransmission and sleep, we investigated the effects of SD on free corticosterone levels. SD caused a marked rise in free corticosterone levels. However, the effects of SD on 5-HT seem not to be mediated by this hormone, because adrenalectomy did not affect the rise in hippocampal 5-HT during SD. We hypothesize that the elevated hippocampal 5-HT levels during SD may participate in the transient mood enhancing properties of forced wakefulness observed in depressed patients.

I. Serotonin (5-HT) within dopamine reward circuits signals open-field behavior. II. Basis for 5-HT--DA interaction in cocaine dysfunctional behavior

Light microscopic immunocytochemical studies, using a sensitive silver intensification procedure, show that dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) axons terminate on neurons in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) (A10) terminals and also in dorsal striatum (DSTr) (A9) terminals. The data demonstrate a prominent endogenous anatomic interaction at these distal presynaptic sites between the neurotransmitters 5-HT and DA; the pattern of the 5-HT-DA interaction differs between A10 and A9 terminals. Moreover, in distinction to the variance shown anatomically between 5-HT--DA interactions at distal A9 and A10 sites, the 5-HT--DA interactions at the level of DA somatodendrites, the proximal site, are similar, i.e. 5-HT terminals in the midbrain tegmentum are profuse and have a massive overlap with DA neurons in both ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). We suggest with reference to the DA neurons of A10 and A9 pathways, inclusive of somatodendrites (sites of proximal presynaptic interactions in the midbrain) and axons (sites of distal presynaptic interactions), that 5-HT--DA interactions in A10 terminals are more likely to exceed those in the DStr arrangement. Furthermore, our neuroanatomic data show that axonally released DA at A10 terminals may originate from proximal 5-HT somatodendrites, i.e. dorsal raphe (DR) or the proximal DA somatodendrites, VTA. In vivo microvoltammetric studies were done with highly sensitive temporal and spatial resolution; the studies demonstrate basal (endogenous) real time 5-HT release at distal A10 and distal A9 terminal fields and real time 5-HT release at proximal A10 VTA somatodendrites. In vivo microvoltammetric studies were performed concurrently and on line with studies of DA release, also at distal A10 and distal A9 terminal fields and at proximal A10 somatodendrites. Serotonin release was detected in a separate voltammetric peak from the DA voltammetric peak. The electrochemical signal for 5-HT release was detected within 10-12 s and that for DA release within 12-15 s, after each biogenic amine diffused through the synaptic environment onto the microelectrode surface. The electrochemical signal for 5-HT and a separate electrochemical signal for DA are detected on the same voltammogram within 22-27 s; each electrochemical signal represents current changes in picoamperes, within seconds of detection time. The amplitude of each electrochemical signal reflects the changes in diffusion of each biogenic amine to the microelectrode surface. Each neurotransmitter has a distinct potential at which oxidation occurs; this results in a recording which has a distinct peak for a specific neurotransmitter. The concentration of each neurotransmitter within the synaptic environment is directly related to the electrochemical signal detected via the Cottrell equation. Voltammograms were recorded every 5 min. At the time that basal 5-HT release and basal DA release were recorded within same animal control, open-field behavioral studies were performed, also concurrently, by infrared photocell beams. The frequency of each behavioral parameter was monitored every 100 ms; the number of behavioral events, were summated every 5 min during the time course of study. Thus, the detection of neurotransmitters occurs in real time, while simultaneously monitoring the animal's behavior by infrared photocell beams. The results from the in vivo microvoltammetric and behavioral data from this study show that basal 5-HT release at distal A10 and A9 terminals dramatically increased with DA release. Moreover, each increase in basal 5-HT release, at both A10 and at A9 terminal fields occurred consistently and at the same time as each increase in open-field locomotion and stereotypy occurred naturally during the animal's exploration in a novel chamber. Thus, the terminology 'synchronous and simultaneous' describes aptly the correlation between 5-HT release at distal A10 and A9 terminal fields and open-field locomo

On the significance of brain extracellular uric acid detected with in-vivo monitoring techniques: a review

The concentration of uric acid [UA] in the extracellular fluid (ECF) estimated with in-vivo voltammetry and microdialysis data is compared for probes of different diameters from the day of implantation (acute) to several days (chronic) or even months after surgery. For small probes (diameter < 160 microns) the acute [UA] of ca. 5 microM decreased significantly to ca. 1 microM under chronic conditions. For larger probes (e.g., 320-microns diameter) the acute [UA] was also ca. 5 microM, but this value significantly increased to ca. 50 microM under chronic conditions. Associated with this difference in [UA], there were parallel differences in the extent of gliosis around the probes. These findings are discussed in terms of possible sources of extracellular UA and their implications for in-vivo monitoring techniques in behaving animals.

Simultaneous, selective detection of catecholaminergic and indolaminergic signals using cyclic voltammetry with treated micro-sensor

Selective and simultaneous voltammetric analysis of catechols and indoles in vivo and in vitro has until now been feasible only by means of 'slow' scanning methods (scan speed in tens of seconds) such as differential pulse (DPV) and differential normal pulse voltammetry in conjunction with electrically and/or chemically treated carbon-fiber micro-electrodes (mCFE). Faster electrochemical techniques, such as chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetry (CV), allow more rapid (seconds or fractions of a second) and frequent measurements of these chemicals. However, these methods show poor sensitivity and selectivity in the presence of different electroactive compounds with similar oxidation potentials. In order to analyze whether the lack of sensitivity and selectivity of the fast voltammetric methods results from the rapidity of the measurement or from the use of untreated sensors, the methods of CV (scan speed: 1000 mV/s) and DPV (scan speed: 10 mV/s) have been applied with either untreated or electrically treated mCFE to analyze the in vitro oxidation potential and current values of DA and 5-HT. When associated with untreated mCFE, neither method was able to separate and selectively detect the two compounds dissolved together in an inert vehicle; the voltammogram recorded resulted in a single broad oxidation signal. In contrast, when these techniques were performed with electrically treated mCFE, oxidation signals for DA (peak A) and 5-HT (peak B) were monitored simultaneously at approximately + 65 mV and + 240 mV, with DPV respectively, and at + 120 mV and + 300 mV with CV, respectively. Additionally, CV with treated mCFE on anesthetized rats, simultaneously monitored two striatal signals at approximately + 100 mV and + 300 mV. The oxidation values (Em) and current levels (nA) of these peaks remained stable during control recordings. The current levels were selectively increased by peripheral injection of fluphenazine (DA antagonist) or of 5-hydroxytryptophan (precursor of serotonin). The chemical nature of these two peaks may therefore be considered catecholaminergic and indolaminergic, respectively. Hence, this report provides the first evidence for the feasibility of concomitant in vitro analysis of DA and 5-HT using a rapid scanning method such as CV. In addition, the values of current level (nA) obtained with CV-mCFE for DA and 5-HT are comparable to those monitored with DPV-mCFE, supporting the view that treatment of the sensor is a key point for increasing the selectivity and the sensitivity of these voltammetric techniques. The feasibility of using CV with electrically treated mCFE for fast in vivo analysis of catechol and indole activities is also demonstrated.

Carbon fibre micro-electrodes for concomitant in vivo electrophysiological and voltammetric measurements: no reciprocal influences

Differential pulse voltammetry and more recently cyclic voltammetry have been successfully used to monitor basal levels of endogenous chemicals by means of treated carbon fibre microbiosensors inserted in specific brain regions. In this study, feasibility of concomitant in vivo recordings of stable electrophysiological signals and basal ascorbate, catecholaminergic and indolaminergic voltammetric peaks at the same cerebral site by means of a single electrically treated carbon fibre micro electrode (microbiosensor) is presented. The results indicate that these two independent techniques can be combined in vivo at a single electrode, and that voltammetric measurements of unstimulated levels of extracellular compounds do not alter concomitant basal cell firing for a period long enough (more than 6 h) to allow pharmacological manipulations.

Effect of subcutaneous administration of the chemical algogen formalin, on 5-HT metabolism in the nucleus raphe magnus and the medullary dorsal horn: a voltammetric study in freely moving rats

The effect of subcutaneous administration of the chemical algogen formalin, on serotonin (5-HT) metabolism in the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) and the medullary dorsal horn (MDH) has been investigated using in vivo 5-hydroxyindole electrochemical (peak '3') detection with treated, multi-carbon fiber electrodes and differential pulse, or normal pulse, voltammetry in freely moving rats. The subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of 50 microliters of 10% formalin in the left forepaw was followed, at the NRM level, by a significant increase in the voltammograms as compared to controls (50 microliters of saline 0.9% s.c. in left forepaw) for about 70 min after the injection, before a return to control values. At the MDH level, the formalin injection induced no significant effect on peak 3, as compared to controls, during the first 70 min. After that, the voltammograms significantly increased and remained above controls for up to 180 min. Thus, the time-courses of NRM and MDH effects appear markedly different. These findings suggest that, depending on the anatomical level (NRM or MDH) and/or the period of observation, one can measure differences in the time-course of the increase in 5-HT metabolism in the NRM-dorsal horn serotonergic system by tonic noxious stimuli, such as the formalin test.

Detection of the release of 5-hydroxyindole compounds in the hypothalamus and the n. raphe dorsalis throughout the sleep-waking cycle and during stressful situations in the rat: a polygraphic and voltammetric approach

In the present work, voltammetric method combined with polygraphic recordings were used in animals under long-term chronic conditions; the extracellular concentrations of 5-hydroxyindole compounds (5-OHles) and in particular 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were measured in the hypothalamus and in the nucleus Raphe Dorsalis (n.RD). The hypothesis that extracellular detection of 5-HIAA, in animals under physiological conditions, might reflect serotonin (5-HT) release is suggested by the following observations: serotoninergic neurons are reported to contain only monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B);--an inhibitor of such an enzyme, MDL 72145 (1 mg/kg), fails to decrease the extracellular 5-HIAA peak 3 height:--MAO type A is contained in non-5-HT cells or neurons;--only the inhibitor of this last type of enzyme (Clorgyline 2.5 mg/kg) induces a complete disappearance of the voltammetric signal. The 5-HIAA measured in the extracellular space thus comes from the 5-HT released and metabolized outside the 5-HT neurons. Throughout the sleep-waking cycle, 5-OHles release occurs following two different modes: 1--during sleep, in the vicinity of the 5-HT cellular bodies in the n.RD; this release might come from dendrites and be responsible for the 5-HT neuronal inhibition occurring during sleep; 2--during waking, at the level of the axonal nerve endings impinging on the hypothalamus; this release might be related to the synthesis of "hypnogenic factors". Finally, we have observed that in the hypothalamus, 30 min. of immobilization-stress (IS) induces a larger increase of the voltammetric signal (+80%) than a painful stimulation of the same duration (+30%); the possible link between the 5-OHles release occurring in this area during an IS and the subsequent paradoxical sleep rebound is discussed.

A comparison of the effects of morphine on 5-HT metabolism in the periaqueductal gray, ventromedial medulla and medullary dorsal horn: in vivo electrochemical studies in freely moving rats

The effect of systemic morphine on serotonin (5-HT) metabolism within the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) has been investigated by in vivo 5-hydroxyindole electrochemical (peak '3') detection in freely moving rats. Morphine caused a weak and delayed, but naloxone-reversible, increase in peak '3'. This increase was poorly, if at all, correlated with the morphine-induced analgesia. Finally, stress and/or noxious stimulation had no effect on this signal. These results are compared with our previous studies using the same methodological approaches and show that morphine caused a significant and specific increase in 5-HT metabolism at the levels of nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) and medullary dorsal horn. Furthermore, as shown in the present paper, there was also a good correlation between the time course of such increases and the analgesic effect of morphine. These findings are discussed with reference to the involvement of 5-HT mechanisms in the so-called DRN-NRM-dorsal horn 'intrinsic analgesic system'.

Measurement of extracellular basal levels of serotonin in vivo using nafion-coated carbon fibre electrodes combined with differential pulse voltammetry

Carbon fibre electrodes combined with differential pulse voltammetry have been used for a number of years to monitor changes in the extracellular concentrations of ascorbic acid, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. However, the primary objective of in vivo electrochemists has been to monitor changes in the extracellular concentrations of the neurotransmitter amines; dopamine and serotonin rather than their metabolites. In this paper we describe a new chemically- and electrically-pretreated Nafion-coated carbon fibre electrode which can be used to monitor basal levels of serotonin in the extracellular fluid in the frontal cortex and the dorsal raphe nucleus of rat. These electrodes combined with differential pulse voltammetry detect dopamine (Peak A at -70 mV) and serotonin (Peak B at +240 V) oxidation peaks in vitro but not the oxidation of ascorbic acid, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid or uric acid, at concentrations up to 10 microM. These electrodes were able to detect serotonin concentration as large as 1 nM in vitro. When used in vivo the oxidation peaks obtained in the frontal cortex and dorsal raphe indicate the basal concentrations of serotonin to be 5 nM and 10 nM respectively. Pharmacological interventions in rats implanted with normal carbon fibre electrodes or with Nafion carbon fibre electrodes further demonstrate that the new Nafion electrodes measure serotonin in vivo. The Nafion-coated electrodes therefore may be a useful tool for the study of serotoninergic systems in vivo with the added advantage that they cause minimal damage due to their small tip size (30 micron).

In vivo electrochemical detection of 5-hydroxyindole within the trigeminal nucleus caudalis of freely moving rats: the effect of morphine

The trigeminal nucleus caudalis is considered the equivalent of the orofacial nociceptive system of the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. At the level of this trigeminal area (i.e. medullary dorsal horn) the transmission of noxious inputs is strongly modulated by a descending, serotonergic system mainly originating from the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM). The present study in freely moving animals reports the effect of morphine on the 5-hydroxyindole oxidation current recorded in the medullary dorsal horn. Complementary data from recordings in spinal dorsal horn in acutely anesthetized rats are also presented. A current recorded at 270-290 mV (peak '3'), characteristic of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), was measured with treated multi-fiber carbon electrodes, using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) or differential normal pulse voltammetry (DNPV). In control rats, the amplitude of the peak remained constant for many hours. Morphine (10 mg/kg i.p.) caused a significant increase which plateaued between 35 and 80 min (mean increase: 127 +/- 5% of control values); recovery was complete by about 3 h. Simultaneous injection of naloxone (1 mg/kg i.p.) totally abolished the effect of morphine. By contrast, morphine was without effect on peak 3 recorded in the spinal dorsal horn of chloral hydrate (450 mg/kg i.p.) anesthetized rats. It is concluded that in non-anesthetized freely moving animals morphine clearly increases the metabolism of serotonin (5-HT) in the medullary dorsal horn. This finding confirms previous neurochemical data showing an increased synthesis or release of 5-HT in the spinal cord after systemic morphine or its microinjection into either the periaqueductal gray matter or the NRM, and underlines the value of in vivo electrochemistry in monitoring changes in 5-HT metabolism directly and continuously during various physiological and pharmacological procedures.

Morphine increases 5-HT metabolism in the nucleus raphe magnus: an in vivo study in freely moving rats using 5-hydroxyindole electrochemical detection

The purpose of this study was to evaluate in freely moving animals the effect of morphine on the 5-hydroxyindole oxidation current recorded in the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) which is the origin of serotonergic control systems modulating the transmission of noxious inputs at the spinal level. A current recorded at 270-290 mV (peak 3), characteristic of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), was measured with treated multi-fiber carbon electrodes, using differential pulse (DPV) or differential normal pulse (DNPV) voltammetry. In control rats the amplitude of the peak remains constant for many hours. Morphine (10 mg/kg i.p.) caused a very significant increase which plateaued between 60 and 80 min (mean increase: 142 +/- 7% of control values); recovery was complete by about 3 h. Simultaneous injection of naloxone (1 mg/kg i.p.) completely abolished the effect of morphine. The peak 3 augmentation was still observed (151 +/- 5%) in rats pretreated with the xanthine oxidase inhibitor, allopurinol (12 mg/kg i.p.), but did not occur when animals were given an anaesthetic dose (450 mg/kg i.p.) of chloral hydrate. It is concluded that morphine clearly increases the metabolism of serotonin (5-HT) in the NRM, and one could speculate that the increase in 5-HIAA results from 5-HT release. Such a release could be due either to 5-HT terminals originating in the periaqueductal gray, or to somato-dendritic mechanisms. Thus the question remains as to the relationship between the activation of 5-HT metabolism in the NRM and previous neurochemical evidence for morphine-induced augmentation of 5-HT metabolism within the terminal area of serotonergic raphe-spinal pathways.

Voltammetry in vivo with a single working electrode may permit detection of striatal dopamine-serotonin interactions in anesthetized and freely moving rats

We have recently improved the technique of differential pulse voltammetry to detect extracellular 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentrations in vivo with a single monopyrolytic carbon fibre electrode (working electrode). Thus it is now possible to perform a simultaneous evaluation of the turnover of dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) in a specific brain area of anaesthetized or conscious freely moving rats. We have attempted to determine whether there is an interaction between the two neuronal systems in the striatum. Our results show that various pharmacological manipulations in anaesthetized or conscious freely moving rats alter the activity of both systems suggesting the presence of interactions between 5-HT and DA systems in brain.

Anaesthesia abolishes the effect of valproate on extracellular 5-HIAA, DOPAC and ascorbate as measured in rat striatum by differential pulse voltammetry

The effect of sodium valproate (VPA, 400 mg kg-1, i.p.) on extracellular ascorbate, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the striatum was examined by differential pulse voltammetry in anaesthetized and freely-moving rats. In rats anaesthetized with chloral hydrate (400 mg kg-1, i.p.) pentobarbitone (50 mg kg-1, i.p.) or phenobarbitone (60 mg kg-1, i.p.), VPA produced no significant changes in peak 1 (extracellular ascorbate) or peak 2 (extracellular DOPAC), but produced a slight but statistically significant reduction in the height of peak 3 (extracellular 5-HIAA). In contrast, in freely-moving rats the same dose of VPA greatly reduced extracellular ascorbate and DOPAC concentrations, and increased that of 5-HIAA. These results suggest that VPA may reduce the release or turnover of dopamine, and increase that of 5-hydroxytryptamine in conscious rats. Our data also suggest that caution may be required in the interpretation of the effects of VPA in anaesthetized animals, as the results obtained may not always reflect the situation in the absence of anaesthesia.

Growth hormone-releasing factor modifies dopaminergic but not serotonergic activity in the arcuate nucleus of hypothalamus in the rat, as recorded in vivo by differential pulse voltammetry

Parenteral (i.v.) injection of growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF) increases the height of the 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid oxidation peak (peak 2) but does not change 5-hydroxyindole extracellular content (peak 3) in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, both peaks being recorded by the differential pulse voltammetry technique using a single specifically pretreated monopyrolytic carbon fibre electrode. Conversely, no significant changes are observed in the peak 2 and peak 3 heights recorded in the medial or in the lateral nucleus of the hypothalamus. These data suggest a specific interaction between GRF and the dopaminergic system.

In vivo voltammetry: promise and perspective

Dopamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine and noradrenaline are electroactive (oxidisable) neurotransmitters in the mammalian brain. Voltammetry, a technique which can measure the concentration of such compounds by their oxidation at an inert electrode, has been applied in vivo in the hope of measuring the release of these neurotransmitters without recourse to perfusion-based or post-mortem analyses. The measurement of neurotransmitter release is, however, complicated by the presence of high concentrations of other electroactive species (ascorbic and uric acids). Nevertheless, when used properly, with due emphasis on pharmacological identification of electrochemical signals, the technique can measure catechol and indole metabolites in vivo. Under certain circumstances the release of the catecholamines and 5-hydroxytryptamine themselves can be measured. The advantages and drawbacks of the voltammetric methodology are discussed.

Differential pulse voltammetry: simultaneous in vivo measurement of ascorbic acid, catechols and 5-hydroxyindoles in the rat striatum

This paper describes carbon fibre electrodes that can simultaneously monitor changes in ascorbic acid, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in vivo in the rat striatum using differential pulse voltammetry. The separation between DOPAC and 5HIAA oxidation is improved and the size of the 5HIAA peak decreased by the removal of uric acid using the enzyme uricase indicating that uric acid oxidation may contribute to the oxidation peak at + 300 mV. Haloperidol (0.5 mg/kg) decreased ascorbic acid and 5HIAA but increased DOPAC and HVA while D-amphetamine (3 mg/kg) increased ascorbic acid, decreased DOPAC and HVA but had no effect on 5HIAA. These electrodes should be a useful means of investigating interactions between dopamine and serotoninergic systems in vivo.