5-HT receptors involved in initiation or modulation of motor patterns: opportunities for drug development.

A clearer understanding of the role of descending systems in motor control can be achieved by using in vitro preparations of mammalian spinal cord that display patterned motor output, together with the use of selective pharmacological agents. It has been suggested that 5-HT is involved in either the initiation or the modulation of certain motor behaviours, and that it acts to enhance or regulate the motor pattern. Most attention has been paid to the locomotor rhythms underlying walking or swimming, and in respiratory pattern generation. In this article, David Wallis discusses the involvement of 5-HT1 and 5-HT2 receptors in these processes and the possible therapeutic relevance.