Supranormal levels of serotonin and its metabolite after raphe cell transplantation in serotonin-denervated rat hippocampus.

Transplantation of fetal raphe cells (14 days of gestation) into the adult rat hippocampus, 2 weeks following serotonin (5-HT)-denervation with intracisternal injection of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine, can restore 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels in the hippocampus to far beyond normal values. Transplantation into the unilateral hippocampus produces asymmetrical turning behavior after administration of the 5-HT releasor, p-chloroamphetamine (IP), comparable to the behavior reported for rats with 5-HT denervation of the unilateral hippocampus. The effect is blocked by prior depletion of 5-HT with p-chlorophenylalanine (IP). The asymmetry in 5-HT levels are correlated with the behavioral change. These data indicate that a large amount of 5-HT is released from nerve terminals of transplanted raphe cells, and suggest that the supranormal levels of 5-HT and 5-HIAA after raphe cell transplantation are neurochemical correlates of 5-HT hyper-innervation of the hippocampus which has been reported previously.