Increased neuronal activity in locus coeruleus from adult rats undernourished at perinatal age. Its reversal by desipramine.

NASIF, F., RAMÍREZ, O., CUADRA, G. AND ORSINGHER, O.

LIFE SCIENCES

Pergamon Press

Lugar: England; Año: 2001 vol. 69 p. 2551 - 2551

0024-3205

font face="Times New Roman" size="2"> The spontaneous activity of locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic neurons was assessed by single unit recording in adult recovered rats undernourished at perinatal age as compared with wellnourished animals. Locus coeruleus activity, measured by the firing rate of noradrenergic neurons and the number of spontaneously active cells/track was significantly higher in deprived rats than in controls. In addition, dose-response curves for the inhibitory LC activity of clonidine showed a shift to the right in deprived animals indicating a subsensitivity of alfa2-adrenergic autoreceptors. This fact suggests an alteration in the negative feedback mechanism mediated by somatodentritic alfa2