HISTOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON TRANSMITTER-RELATED NEURON SYSTEM UNDER EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED SEIZURES

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Serotonin neurons in the brainstem give rise to highly branched fibers which innervate virtually the entire central nervous system, comprising the most expatisive neuronal network among other neurotransmitters. The aim of this project is to examine changes occurring in the serotonin neuron system in experimentally induced convulsions by means of a modified immunoperoxidase method. To obtain quantitative data on the density or serotonergic innervation, the total length of serotonin-immunoreactive fibers was calculated using the MOP system. A marked increase in serotonin immunoreactivity was observed at the rostral and intermediate levels or the neostriatum of mice kept at high temperature (50ﾟC) with no convulsions, and a significant reduction in serotonin immunoreactivity was verified throughout the neostriatum of mice which had hyperthermia-induced seizures. in the case or pilocarpine-induced convulsions, a significant reduction in serotonin immunoreactivity was observed at the rostral and caudal levels of the neostriatum or mice which had generalized seizures due to the systemic administration of pilocarpine (350 mg/kg). In both experimental convulsion models, the serotonin immunoreactivity remained unchanged in the paleostriatum and neocortex and the degree of serotonin reduction in the neostriatum was significantly greater in hyperthermia-induced convulsions than that in pilocarpine-induced convulsions. These results suggest that striatal serotonin may be an important mediater in the mechanism of convulsions and that more precise regional analysis using quantitative histochemical methods is essential for elucidation of the mechanism underlying human neurological disorders.