Characterization of the in vitro effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) on identified neurones of the rat dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV)

1. Whole cell patch clamp techniques were used on thin brainstem slices to investigate the effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) on gastrointestinal-projecting dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV neurones. Neurones were identified as projecting to the stomach (n = 122) or intestine (n = 84) if they contained the fluorescent tracer Dil after it had been applied to the gastric fundus, corpus or antrum/pylorus or to the duodenum or caecum. 2. A higher proportion of intestinal neurones (69%) than gastric neurones (47%) responded to 5-HT with a concentration-dependent inward current which was antagonized fully by the 5-HT(2A) receptor antagonist ketanserin (1 μM). 3. Stimulation of the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) induced inhibitory synaptic currents that were reduced in amplitude by application of the 5-HT(1A) receptor agonist 8-OHDPAT (1 μM) or the 5-HT(1A/1B) receptor agonist TFMPP (1 μM) in 61% and 52% of gastric- and intestinal-projecting neurones, respectively. 5-HT also significantly reduced the frequency but not the amplitude of spontaneous inhibitory currents. 4. These data show that 5-HT excites directly a larger proportion of intestinal projecting neurones than gastric-projecting neurones, as well as inhibiting synaptic transmission from the NTS to the DMV. These data imply that the response to DMV neurones to 5-HT may be determined and classified by their specific protections.