Abstract
Central serotonin systems have long been associated with the control of ingestive behavior, and the modulation of behavioral effects of psychostimulants.The 5-HT2C receptor is present in hypothalamic centers particularly the arcuate nucleus (ARC) controlling homeostatic regulation of food intake as well as in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a region important for motivational aspects of multiple behaviors, including feeding.In the present study, the hypothesis was tested that the 5-HT2CR in the VTA may control amphetamine-evoked locomotor activity and 5-HT2CR in the ARC may regulate food consumption. Localized microinjections into the VTA or into the ARC were used to assess the effects of a highly selective 5-HT2C agonist, AR231630, on the locomotor stimulant effect of amphetamine as well as food intake. In the tests for locomotor activity, AR231630 into the VTA, but not into the ARC, dose-dependently reduced locomotor activity elicited by amphetamine. Unexpectedly, in tests for food intake, intra-ARC injection of AR231630 did not reduce food intake even at doses of 10ug, whereas intra-VTA injection of 10ug AR231630 did. A subsequent experiment determined that the suppressant effect of peripheral administration of AR231630 (5 mg/kg) on feeding was partially reversed by pretreatment with the selective 5-HT2CR antagonist SB242084 into the VTA (5ug). These findings suggest that 5-HT2CR in the VTA participates in both food intake and brain reward function, and possibly through the same pathway.