The Role of Cortical Serotonin in Anxiety and Locomotor Activity in Wistar Rats

The brain's serotonergic system is known to play an important role in the modulation of anxiety. While the role of serotonin (5-HT) in subcortical structures is well investigated, little is known about the function of cortical 5-HT. The present series of studies used local injections of the serotonergic neurotoxin, 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT), into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), entorhinal cortex (EC), or occipital cortex (OccC) of rats to chronically reduce 5-HT neurotransmission in these brain areas. The animals were tested for anxiety-like behavior on the elevated plus-maze and open field. An 82% depletion of 5-HT from the mPFC increased anxiety-like behavior, while no general motor effects were evident. In contrast, a 63% 5-HT-depletion of the EC or a 78% 5-HT-depletion of the OccC did not have any effects on emotional or exploratory behaviors. These findings are in line with a proposed role of 5-HT in the mPFC in the modulation of anxiety- and stress-mediated behavior and demonstrate a functional differentiation between different cortical 5-HT projections.