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Corrent G, McAdoo DJ, Eskin A. 
“A Transmitter Role For Serotonin In The Aplysia Eye?”. 
Fed. Proc.. 1979;38(3, Part I):688.
Abstract
Serotonin (5-HT) may act as a transmitter of temporal information to the circadian pacemaker (CP) in the eye of Aplysia californica. We found that 5-HT(10-7 to 10-3M) produced phase shifts in the circadian rhythm (CR) of compound optic nerve potentials (CAPs) nnd depressed spontaneous CAP activity from the isolated eye. 6 h treatments of 10-5M 5-HT produced advance phase shifts when administered during a late subjective day phase and delay phase shifte when given during the late subjective night. Other putative transmitters, dopamine and acetylcholine, did not cause phase shifts when applied during phases at which 5-HT was effective. However, three indole analogues of 5-HT, bufotenine, LSD, and Brom-LSD, produced advance phase shifts and depressed spontaneous activity when administered during the late subjective day. 5-HT may be acting by altering levels of cAMP in the eye since 8-benzylthio-cAMP (2x10-3M) mimics 5-HT by producing advance phase shifts and depressing spontaneous activity when Administered during the early subjective day. Eyes (analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) contained a substantial amount of 5-HT, 150 ng/mg retinal protein). Attempts to release 5-HT (with raised K+ solutions) while inhibiting reuptake lowered Na+) produced even with significantly reduced levels of 5-HT. These results suggest that 5-HT is involved in the transmission of phase shifting in formation in the Aplysia eye.
Notes # : Abstr. No. 2429
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