Direct evidence for the link between monoaminergic descending pathways and motor activity. I. A study with microdialysis probes implanted in the ventral funiculus of the spinal cord.

Monoaminergic projections to the spinal cord are involved in the modulation of motor, autonomic, and sensory functions. More specifically, the increase of electrical activity of serotonergic neurons in raphe obscurus has been correlated with locomotion in treadmill-trained cats [Jacobs, B.L. and Fornal, C., Trends Neurosci., 9 (1993) 346-352]. In order to test the direct correlation between locomotion and the release of monoamines, microdialysis probes were permanently implanted for 45 days into the ventral funiculus of the spinal cord (white matter) of adult rats. Eight days after implantation, these rats were subjected to an endurant exercise on a treadmill, and dialysis sessions were organized in such a way that microdialysate samples of 15 min duration were collected during pre-, per- and post-exercise periods. Measurements of serotonin, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, dopamine and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethylglycol concentration in the extracellular space showed significant increases during locomotion when compared with both pre- and post-exercise values. Histological analysis shows that serotonergic axons were present close to the dialysis probe. These results demonstrate that the implantation of a microdialysis probe in the ventral funiculus, close to a potential target of monoaminergic projections, is a suitable technique for the collection of neuromediators released during spontaneous running.