Serotonergic changes in specific areas of rat brain associated with activity--stress gastric lesions.

To study serotonergic involvement in the development of gastric lesions following activity wheel stress, three groups of rats (gastric lesions, no gastric lesions, and home--cage controls) were killed following exposure to the experimental procedures. The brains were dissected into eight specific areas and subjected to analyses for serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) using high performance liquid chromatography with EC detection. Lower levels of 5-HT were found in the midbrain, cortex, and hippocampus of rats with gastric lesions compared to either the no lesion group, subjected to shorter periods of activity--stress, or the home--cage control group. Levels of 5-HT and 5-HIAA were elevated in the pons/medulla oblongata of both the lesion and the no lesion groups compared to the home--cage controls. Corticosterone levels in blood were also significantly elevated in the lesion group. These data on serotonin changes in the CNS suggest a possible role for this neurotransmitter in stress-induced gastric pathology.