Activation of locus coeruleus by prefrontal cortex is mediated by excitatory amino acid inputs.

We examined the role of excitatory amino acids (EAAs) in activation of noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) neurons evoked by electrical stimulation of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in halothane-anesthetized rats. Microinfusion of the specific N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist 2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (AP5, 50 or 100 microM) into the LC significantly suppressed LC responses evoked by mPFC stimulation. Microinfusion of the selective non-NMDA antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX, 25 or 50 microM) also significantly reduced evoked LC responses. Simultaneous microinfusion of both AP5 and CNQX considerably increased the proportion of LC neurons which exhibited complete suppression of evoked responses (81%), compared to either AP5 or CNQX alone (approximately 50% each). These results indicate that LC activation by mPFC stimulation is mediated by both NMDA- and non-NMDA-type EAA channels.