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Updated: May 11, 2026

Comprehensive Profiling of Dopamine Regulation in Substantia Nigra and Ventral Tegmental Area
Published on: August 10, 2012
Serotonin(2C) receptors in the ventral pallidum regulate motor function in rats
Steven M Graves1, Annika A Viskniskki, Kathryn A Cunningham
1Department of Pharmacology, Center for Compulsive Behavior and Addiction, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Abstract:
The ventral pallidum is a limbic brain region that regulates motor function. This region is extensively innervated by serotoninergic neurons from the dorsal raphe nucleus. Serotonergic receptors, including the 5-HT(2C) receptor subtype, are located in the ventral pallidum. However, little is known regarding the behavioral consequences of serotonergic transmission in the ventral pallidum, and the role of 5-HT(2C) receptors has not been studied. To address this paucity, we measured the motoric consequences of injections of 0.33-10 ng of the 5-HT(2C) receptor agonist MK 212 into the ventral pallidum of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. We determined that locomotor activity was attenuated by 6.6 ng MK 212, and rearing was attenuated by both 1 and 6.6 ng. The motor suppressant effects of MK 212 were lost at the higher dose of 10 ng, likely reflecting a loss of selectivity of this ligand. These findings indicate negative regulation of motor function by 5-HT(2C) receptors in the ventral pallidum.
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