Serotoninergic control of punished behavior: effects of intra-raphe microinjections of chlordiazepoxide, GABA and 5-HT on behavioral suppression in rats.

The effects of intra dorsalis raphe microinjections of chlordiazepoxide, GABA and 5-HT were studied on a model of behavioral suppression in rats. The suppression of responding for food was elicited by a 10 min presentation of a signal previously associated with the delivery of electric foot shocks. Microinjections of chlordiazepoxide, GABA and 5-HT (0.2 microliters) performed in awake hand-held rats reduced the behavioral suppression. Chlordiazepoxide and 5-HT acted in a synergistic way, while such a synergy could not be obtained when chlordiazepoxide and GABA were coadministered. Moreover, the effects of intra-raphe chloridazepoxide no longer appeared in rats given intra dorsalis raphe 5-7 dihydroxytryptamine (3 micrograms in 0.4 microliters) 3 weeks before testing. All these results further support the hypothesis of the involvement of 5-HT neurons both in punishment-induced inhibition and in the antipunishment activity of benzodiazepines. No evidence was obtained suggesting a GABAergic mediation for the functional interaction of chlordiazepoxide with 5-HT neurons in this experimental model. Since high 3H-flunitrazepam binding was found at the raphe dorsalis level, and since a 30% decrease in the number of intra-raphe 3H-flunitrazepam binding sites was detected after intra-raphe 5-7 dihydroxytryptamine, it is possible that intra-raphe chlordiazepoxide controls 5-HT neurons partly through some benzodiazepine binding sites located on 5-HT cells.