Figure 6.

Influence of DREADD activation on LC activity. Averaged firing rate of LC units was computed separately for neurons tested with high doses of DCZ (in red, 0.4 mg/kg, n = 1 and 0.5 mg/kg, n = 2) and for neurons tested with a lower dose (in orange, 0.1 mg/kg, n = 5 and 0.2 mg/kg, n = 1). Individual firing rates were normalized using a 5 min baseline window, and data were smoothed for clarity. The injection (t = 0, vertical line) induced a rapid decrease in activity, which was more pronounced for higher doses of DCZ. The activity of LC neurons decreased rapidly, and after 15 min, they remained lower than baseline for at least 1 h.