Participation of opiate and serotonergic systems in brain conditioning stimulatory inhibition of the potentials evoked by tooth pulp stimulation in the pars caudalis of the trigeminal sensory nucleus of the rat.

Effects of conditioning stimulations of the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM), nucleus reticularis paragigantocellularis (NRPG), mesencephalic periaqueductal central gray (PAG), nucleus dorsomedialis hypothalami (DMH), corpus striatum (CP), sensory cortex (SCT) and visual cortex (VCT) and actions of morphine, naloxone and metergoline on the potentials recorded from the pars caudalis of the trigeminal sensory nucleus evoked by the electrical stimulation of rat incisor pulps were examined. The spinal potentials evoked by electrical stimulation of the pulp consisted of 3 components. Component 2 was mainly inhibited by morphine and antagonized by naloxone. Conditioning stimulation of NRM, NRPG, PAG, CP, SCT and DMH strongly inhibited component 2. VCT did not show any inhibition. 33-67% of antagonism was observed by naloxone in the NRM, NRPG, PAG, CP, SCT and DMH. On the other hand, 27-44% of antagonism was observed by metergoline, and the antagonism was not enhanced by the additional administration of naloxone. These results conclusively show that the endorphin system as well as the serotonergic system is in the series involved in the descending inhibition for nociception in the trigeminal sensory nucleus.