The effects of single and repeated nociceptive stresses on the functional state of the serotonergic system of the rat brain

A comparison of responses of the central serotonergic system of rats to acute and repeated stresses has shown that the responses differ in these situations. In the first case, the stress response is developed via the “hyposerotonergic” pathway and, in the second case, via the “hyperserotonergic” pathway. It is logical to hypothesize that inhibition of regulatory mechanisms that attenuate the functional potential of the serotonergic system at the central level predominate in the first case. The predominant factor in the second case is compensatory processes that recover indices of serotonin exchange and, hence, determine the “adaptive” effect of the model of repeated stress.