Neuroscience letters
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Neuroscience letters · Nov 2002
Comparative StudyProtective effects of the 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin against traumatic brain injury-induced cognitive deficits and neuropathology in adult male rats.
To further investigate the efficacy of 5-HT(1A) receptor agonism on functional and histological outcome in traumatically-brain injured (TBI) rats, a single intraperitoneal injection of 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT; 0.1, 0.5, or 1.0 mg/kg) or vehicle was given 15 min after controlled cortical impact or sham injury. Function was assessed by established motor and cognitive tests on post-operative days 1-5 and 14-18, respectively. ⋯ The administration of 8-OH-DPAT (0.5 mg/kg) attenuated spatial acquisition deficits and reduced hippocampal CA(3) cell loss vs. vehicle (P < 0.05). These data augment published reports that 5-HT(1A) receptor agonists confer neuroprotective effects after experimental TBI.
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Neuroscience letters · Nov 2002
Effects of lignocaine blockades and kainic acid lesions in the Bötzinger complex on spontaneous expiratory activity and cough reflex responses in the rabbit.
We investigated the role played by Bötzinger complex (Böt. c.) region in the genesis of the cough reflex and expiratory drive to expiratory neurons of the caudal ventral respiratory group (cVRG) in pentobarbitone-anesthetized spontaneously breathing rabbits. Phrenic nerve and abdominal muscle activities were monitored. Microinjections (30-50 nl) of 4% lignocaine or 4.7 mM kainic acid in the Böt. c. region suppressed spontaneous rhythmic expiratory activity as well as the inspiratory and expiratory components of the cough reflex evoked by mechanical stimulation of the tracheobronchial tree. These results support the view that neurons located in the Böt. c. have an important role not only in the genesis of the synaptic drive to cVRG expiratory neurons, but also in determining the overall characteristics of the cough motor pattern.