Median raphe, but not dorsal raphe, application of the 5-HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT stimulates rat motor activity.

Local application of the selective 5-HT1A agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) in the median raphe of rats caused locomotor stimulation. In contrast, dorsal raphe application of the compound induced flat body posture, which was discontinuous and not dose-dependent, and therefore distinct from that characteristic for postsynaptic 5-HT receptor-mediated behaviour. Injection of 8-OH-DPAT into the dorsal raphe or median raphe caused neither forepaw treading nor head-weaving; stiff tail and sniffing occurred inconsistently. By activating somatodendritic 5-HT1A autoreceptors in the median raphe, 8-OH-DPAT may disinhibit locomotor-enforcing neural pathways that receive 5-HT afferents from this nucleus. The data suggest that median raphe and dorsal raphe 5-HT neurons have different roles in motor control.