Histaminergic modulation of neocortical spindling and slow-wave activity in freely behaving rats

Summary Histaminergic H3 receptor antagonists stimulate neuronal histamine release and could consequently have a number of physiological effects in the brain. The effects of H3 receptor blockade, induced by systemically administered thioperamide, were assessed on the frontal cortex electroencephalographic (EEG) properties in freely behaving rats. The relationship of EEG activity variables to endogenous brain histaminergic markers was also examined, both in controls and in portocaval anastomosis (PCA)-operated rats (which show increased levels of brain histamine and t-methylhistamine). Thioperamide reduced the incidence of thalamusregulated EEG spindles, while it slightly increased their amplitude. It furthermore reduced the spectral power of low-frequency (1.5–5 Hz) EEG, which effect was equally distributed over the spindle and non-spindle EEG states. These EEG effects were accompanied by increased motor activity of the animals. Both the low-frequency EEG activity and spindle incidence correlated inversely with the histamine level of the brain (hypothalamus and cerebellum excluded) while t-methylhistamine level correlated with the degree of thioperamide-induced reduction of slow-wave EEG activity. The present results provide evidence for the involvement of endogenous brain histamine level, histamine release (as assessed by t-methylhistamine level) and H3 receptors in the histaminergic regulation of neocortical synchronization patterns assumed to be linked to arousal control.