---
abstract: |
  Introduction: 
  Our aim was to determine if a reduction of serotonin (5-HT) synthesis in the brain would provide any protection from the behavioral alterations induced by hippocampal brain-damage. The development of open-field activity (5 minute sessions) over two weeks and the acquisition of a passive avoidance task were chosen for study.
  
  Methods:
  There were 3 groups of lesioned rats - those hippocampal aspiration lesions, those with only damage to the neocortex overlying the hippocampus, and a sham-operated group. Half of each group was treated 300 mg/kg p-chlorphenylalanine (PCPA) for 3 successive days to deplete levels of 5-HT and the other half were given the saline vehicle alone.
  [Hippocampal damage is associated with increased activity in the open field and impaired learning of the step-through passive avoidance response.]
  
  Results: 
  1/ Animals with hippocampal damage became hyperactive in the second week after operation.
  2/ PCPA treatment had no effect on locomotion, (nor on the frequently observed thigmotaxic nature of the behavior) 
  3/ Rearing was initially depressed after the operation, and PCPA treatment facilitated its recovery - but PCPA decreased rearing in intact animals during the second week of testing.
  4/ Reduced levels of grooming were seen in hippocampal animals, while PCPA reduced grooming in those with neocortical damage
  5/ The animals with hippocampal damage were impaired in witholding response in the passive avoidance task - those treated with PCPA performed even worse in not witholding the shock-reinforced step-through response. This contrasted with the intact animals, where PCPA treatment reduced the amount of footshock the animals were exposed to in the task
  
  Conclusions:
  .The results are consistent with a role for mesolimbic 5-HT innervation of the dorsal hippocampus having an influence on novelty-elicited responses (e.g. grooming in home vs. novel cage and investigative rearing behavior) and in modulation of the sensitivity of response to electric footshock (hypersensitive in PCPA-intact animals, hyposensitive in PCPA-hippocampal animals).
altloc:
  - http://www.biopsychology.uni-essen.de/Rat-PCPA-HPC-1977.htm
chapter: ~
commentary: ~
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creators_id: []
creators_name:
  - family: Oades
    given: R.D.
    honourific: ''
    lineage: ''
  - family: Isaacson
    given: ''
    honourific: ''
    lineage: ''
date: 1977
date_type: published
datestamp: 2001-05-29
department: ~
dir: disk0/00/00/15/20
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eprintid: 1520
fileinfo: /style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png;/1520/2/rat%2Dpcpa%2D77.pdf
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keywords: 'serotonin, 5-HT, PCPA, hippocampus, locomotion, rearing, grooming, open-field, passive avoidance, learning, limbic, raphe'
lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:54:39
latitude: ~
longitude: ~
metadata_visibility: show
note: ~
number: ~
pagerange: 500-506
pubdom: TRUE
publication: Behavioral Biology
publisher: Academic Press
refereed: TRUE
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reportno: ~
rev_number: 10
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source: ~
status_changed: 2007-09-12 16:38:29
subjects:
  - behav-neuro-sci
  - neuro-pharm
  - psy-bio
succeeds: ~
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thesistype: ~
title: p-Chlorophenylalanine-produced effects on behavior in intact and brain-damaged rats
type: journalp
userid: 1054
volume: 20
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