Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Stimulation of pontine reticular formation suppresses firing of serotonergic neurones in the dorsal raphe

Nature volume 264, pages 365–368 (1976)Cite this article

Abstract

THERE is ample evidence1–10 that both the pontine reticular formation (PRF; including the nucleus reticularis pontis oralis and caudalis in the terminology of Olszewski and Baxter11 or the gigantocellular tegmental field in Berman's12 terminology) and the brainstem raphe nuclei are involved in sleep processes. We report here that PRF-stimulation suppresses firing in raphe neurones. These results have implications which bear directly on current concepts about the cellular mechanisms involved in the control of the sleep cycle.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Jouvet, M. Arch. Ital. Biol., 100, 125–206 (1962).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Carli, G. and Zanchetti, A. Arch. Ital. Biol., 103, 751–788 (1965).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Hobson, J. A. Electroencephalog. clin. Neurophysiol., 19, 41–62 (1965).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Monti, J. M. Expl Neurol., 28, 484–493 (1970).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Frederickson, C. J. and Hobson, J. A. Arch. Ital. Biol., 108, 564–576 (1970).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Hobson, J. A., McCarley, R. W., Pivik, R. T. and Freedman, R. J. Neurophysiol., 37, 497–511 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hobson, J. A., McCarley, R. W., Freedman, R. and Pivik, R. T. J. Neurophysiol., 37, 1297–1309 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Hobson, J. A., McCarley, R. W. and Wyzinski, P. W. Science, 189, 55–58 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. McGinty, D. J. and Harper, R. M. Brain Res., 101, 569–575 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Jouvet, M. Science, 163, 32–41 (1969).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Olszewski, J. and Baxter, D. Cytoarchitecture of the Human Brain Stem (Karger, New York and Basel, 1954).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Berman, A. L. The Brain Stem of the Cat (University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, 1968).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Brooks, D. C. and Gershon, M. D. Brain Res., 27, 223–239 (1971).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Simon, R. P., Gershon, M. D. and Brooks, D. C. Brain Res., 58, 313–330 (1973).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Scheibel, M. E., and Scheibel, A. B., in Reticular Formation of the Brain (edit. by Jasper, H. H., Proctor, L. D., Kinghton, R. S., Noshay, R. T., and Costello, R. T.), 31–55 (Little Brown, Boston, 1958).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Nauta, W. J. H. and Kuypers, H. G. J. M. ibid., 3–30.

  17. Büttner-Ennever, J. A. and Henn, V. Brain Res., 108, 155–164 (1976).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Aghajanian, G. K. and Wang, R. Y. Brain Res. (in the press).

  19. Gallager, D. W. and Aghajanian, G. K. Eur. J. Pharmac. (in the press).

  20. Thomas, R. C. and Wilson, V. J. Nature, 206, 211–213 (1965).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Wang, R. Y. and Aghajanian, G. K. Brain Res. (in the press).

  22. Aghajanian, G. K. and Haigler, H. J. Brain Res., 81, 364–372 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Aghajanian, G. K., Haigler, H. J. and Bennett, J. L., in Handbook of Psycho-pharmacology, 6 (edit. by Iversen, L. L., Iversen, S. D., and Snyder, S. H.), 63–96 (Plenum, New York, 1975).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Svensson, T. H., Bunney, B. S. and Aghajanian, G. K. Brain Res., 92, 291–306 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Anderson et al., Neurosci. Abstr., 2, 477 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. D. W. GALLAGER

    Present address: NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, 20014

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine and the Connecticut Mental Health Center, 34 Park Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06508

    R. Y. WANG, D. W. GALLAGER & G. K. AGHAJANIAN

Authors
  1. R. Y. WANG
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D. W. GALLAGER
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. G. K. AGHAJANIAN
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

WANG, R., GALLAGER, D. & AGHAJANIAN, G. Stimulation of pontine reticular formation suppresses firing of serotonergic neurones in the dorsal raphe. Nature 264, 365–368 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/264365a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/264365a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing