A comparative study of the behavioral effects of the locus coeruleus and the dorsal noradrenergic bundle lesions in the rat

Evidence that noradrenergic neurons in the A1 and A2 nuclei are lesioned by low doses of 6-OHDA injected into the locus coeruleus

In order to determine the specificity of a lesion aimed at the locus coeruleus (LC), various doses of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), a neurotoxin which selectively lesions catecholaminergic neurons, were bilaterally infused into the LC. The noradrenaline (NA) concentration in the frontal cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, LC, A1 and A2 nuclei decreased with increasing doses of 6-OHDA. A 1 microgram dose of 6-OHDA injected bilaterally into the LC caused maximal depletion of the NA concentration in the frontal cortex, hippocampus and A1 and A2 nuclei. A dose of 2 micrograms 6-OHDA caused further depletion of the NA content of the hypothalamus and LC. These findings suggest that A1 and A2 neurons which project to the hypothalamus may have been lesioned or that the noradrenergic projection from the LC to the hypothalamus may be greater than was previously suspected. Alternatively, leakage of 6-OHDA into the cerebrospinal fluid may have occurred at the higher doses, thus directly exposing the hypothalamus to the toxic effects of 6-OHDA.

Differential role of serotonin and noradrenaline on anxiety reduction after ejaculation in the rat

As previously reported, a reduction in anxiety after ejaculation was observed. In a previous report it was demonstrated that the GABA-benzodiazepine system is involved in the mediation of this reduction in anxiety. The anxiety levels were measured using a defensive burying model. This work was performed to elucidate the serotonin and noradrenaline participation in the mediation of this phenomenon. Two experiments were made. In the first experiment the serotonergic neurotoxin 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT, 10 micrograms/10 microliters) was intracerebroventricularly injected. Five days after its administration the behavioral tests were performed. In the second experiment, the noradrenergic neurotoxin N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP4, 50 mg/kg X 2) was IP administered. The neurochemical data reveal a drastic reduction in various brain areas respective monoamine levels after these treatments. The lesion produced by 5,7-DHT was able to reverse the reduction in anxiety in copulating males, but produced no changes in noncopulating animals. This finding supports the idea that the serotonergic system is involved in the reduction of anxiety observed after ejaculation. The results of the DSP4 experiment suggest that there is not a direct participation of the noradrenergic system in the anxiety reduction observed after ejaculation.

Attenuation of sensory preconditioning by noradrenaline depletion in the rat

In order to investigate the effect of noradrenaline (NA) depletion upon an associative learning phenomenon, sensory preconditioning, rats were inflicted with either 6-hydroxydopamine-induced lesions of the dorsal noradrenergic bundle (DNAB) or the locus coeruleus (LC), or with systemic injections of the NA neurotoxin, N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP4). Using appropriate controls (the UP groups) sensory preconditioning was demonstrated clearly in the non-lesion conditions (Sham or saline), but was blocked or strongly attenuated in the DNAB and DSP4 conditions. LC lesions did not affect sensory preconditioning. These findings suggest that the loss of central NA may cause some disruption of some aspects of complex associative learning. The role of NA in sensory preconditioning may be relevant to current notions of NA function.