Ionotropic glutamate receptor modulation of 5-HT6 and 5-HT7 mRNA expression in rat brain

The novel serotonin receptor subtypes, 5-HT6 and 5-HT7, are located in limbic regions and have nanomolar affinities for atypical antipsychotics. These factors have led some to speculate about the involvement of 5-HT6 and 5-HT7 receptors in schizophrenia. However, relatively little is known about these receptor subtypes, including the regulation of their expression in limbic regions. In particular, the regulation of extracellular serotonin levels in the striatum and hippocampal formation by glutamate receptors led us to examine the effects of systemic ionotropic glutamate receptor modulator treatment on 5-HT6 and 5-HT7 receptor expression in these regions. MK-801 treatment induced a dose-dependent decrease in striatal 5-HT6 receptor mRNA levels; similarly, both aniracetam and NBQX treatments also led to decreases in striatal 5-HT6 receptor mRNA levels. Hippocampal 5-HT6 and 5-HT7 receptor expression were not dramatically affected by any of the treatments. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the regulation of striatal 5-HT6 receptor mRNA expression, and provides neurochemical anatomical evidence for the interaction of serotonergic and glutamatergic systems. Furthermore, although these two neurotransmitter systems are separately implicated in schizophrenia, the glutamatergic regulation of the expression of a receptor subtype associated with schizophrenia suggests that alterations in serotonin receptor expression in schizophrenia may result, in part, from altered glutamatergic activity.