Electrophysiology of 5-HT6 Receptors

A large number of serotonin (5-HT) receptors have been identified over the past several years. They are currently divided into seven classes (5-HT1 to 5-HT7), based on structural, transductional, and functional features. The existence of a great number of splice and editing variants for several 5-HT receptors, their possible modulation by accessory proteins and chaperones, as well as their potential to form homo-or heteromers suggest an even greater degree of functional diversity. This chapter presents an overview of the electrophysiological studies performed in vivo and in vitro to investigate the physiology of 5-HT in different mammalian brain areas, particularly the cortex, striatum, and hippocampus. The chapter discusses the few available electrophysiological data on the effects of 5-HT6 receptor activation. The use of electrophysiological approaches for preclinical pharmacology studies on recently developed 5-HT6 receptor drugs is considered.