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In this review, the most relevant data regarding serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT)/dopamine (DA) interaction in the brain, as studied by both in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological methods, are reported and discussed. The bulk of neuroanatomical data available clearly indicate that DA-containing neurons in the brain receive a prominent innervation from 5-HT originating in the raphe nuclei of the brainstem. Furthermore, this modulation seems to be reciprocal; DA neurons innervate the raphe nuclei and exert a tonic excitatory effect on them. Compelling electrophysiological data show that 5-HT can exert complex effects on the electrical activity of midbrain DA neurons mediated by the various receptor subtypes. The main control seems to be inhibitory, this effect being more marked in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) as compared to the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). In spite of a direct effect of 5-HT by its …