Conditioning of rotational behavior after the administration of a single dose of apomorphine in rats with unilateral denervation of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway: relevance to drug addiction

Our aim is to study the relationship of drug activation of the dopamine neurotransmission system and the conditioning of environmental stimuli present at the time of drug administration. We injected a single dose of apomorphine (0.05 mg/kg SC) in rats with the nigrostriatal dopamine pathways unilaterally denervated with 6-hydroxydopamine, which generates rotational behavior contralateral to the lesioned hemisphere. We observed rotational behavior without apomorphine administration when animals were reexposed at different time intervals to the same environment in which they performed turning behavior. The present findings show that this rotational behavior can be conditioned to environmental stimuli in a strong and long-lasting way. In light of the relationship between opioids and the dopaminergic system, similar conditioning could take place in the learning processes implicated in drug addiction.

Effect of chronic ethanol administration on iron metabolism in the rat

This study shows that the ingestion of ethanol provokes alterations in iron metabolism which may lead to iron overload. Impaired release of reticuloendothelial iron was shown by a decrease of the maximum red blood cell utilization when radioactive iron was supplied as colloidal iron. An impairment in the erythropoietic activity of ethanol-treated animals was also observed, as can be seen from the reduced plasma iron turnover and red blood cell utilization within 24 h of iron administration. A rise in marrow transit time was also observed. In ethanol-treated rats there was an increase in the amount of iron retained both in the liver and the spleen. This was observed in both sexes and also in the offspring from ethanol-treated mothers.

Theophylline reverses haloperidol-induced catalepsy in the rat. Possible relevance to the pharmacological treatment of psychosis

The effect of theophylline (5, 15, or 30 mg/kg sc) on the catalepsy induced by haloperidol in the rat was studied. Theophylline was shown to induce a dose-dependent inhibition of this catalepsy. These data support the hypothesis that the methylxanthines are dopamine agonists and suggest that coffee, tea, and cola drinks should be avoided by patients undergoing neuroleptic treatment.

Comparison between apomorphine and amphetamine-induced rotational behaviour in rats with a unilateral nigrostriatal pathway lesion

Apomorphine and amphetamine-induced rotational behaviour in 310 rats with a unilateral 6-OHDA nigrostriatal pathway lesion has been studied. Animals presenting an apomorphine-induced contralateral rotation with a "two-peak" pattern, showed a greater number of contralateral turns induced by apomorphine and fewer ipsilateral turns induced by amphetamine than rats without this pattern. In addition, we have not found any correlation between apomorphine and amphetamine-induced turning behaviour.

Caffeine produces contralateral rotation in rats with unilateral dopamine denervation: comparisons with apomorphine-induced responses

Like the dopamine agonist apomorphine, the methylxanthines caffeine, theophylline and theobromine produced dose-dependent contralateral rotation in rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine denervation, a response considered to be dependent upon dopamine receptors rendered supersensitive. This response was also observed after the injection of the substances into the denervated striatum. Indeed, intrastriatal administration of caffeine into the dopamine denervated striatum produced, dose-dependently (1.0-50.0 micrograms/ul), contralateral rotation. However, while apomorphine produced ipsilateral rotation in rats with unilateral striatal kainic acid lesions, a response considered to be dependent upon normosensitive dopamine receptors, neither caffeine nor theophylline produced rotational responses. As for apomorphine, the rotational behaviour elicited by caffeine (15.0 mg/kg SC) and theophylline (25.0 mg/kg SC) was inhibited by the dopamine antagonists cis-(Z)flupentixol, haloperidol and sulpiride. Nevertheless, despite the fact that cis-(Z)flupentixol was the most potent inhibitor of the caffeine response, no more than 50% inhibition was produced with doses as high as 1.0-10.0 mg/kg SC of cis-(Z)flupentixol. Pretreatment with alpha methyl-p-tyrosine inhibited the rotational response produced by caffeine in 6-OHDA-lesioned animals, but did not significantly modify the apomorphine response. Furthermore, the benzodiazepine diazepam produced a dose-dependent inhibition of the caffeine rotation, but again, the apomorphine response, although qualitatively modified, was not significantly inhibited.

Striatal adenosine levels measured 'in vivo' by microdialysis in rats with unilateral dopamine denervation

Adenosine, inosine, hypoxanthine and guanosine were measured in perfusates collected from the right and left striatum of halothane-anaesthetized naive and 6-hydroxydopamine-denervated rats by using microdialysis. Samples were taken under basal and KCl-stimulated conditions. Dopamine, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were simultaneously measured. Purines and monoamines were assayed by HPLC-UV and HPLC-EC respectively. In naive rats, basal adenosine (1 microM), inosine (2 microM), hypoxanthine (4 microM), guanosine (0.5 microM) and dopamine (DA, 0.02 microM) levels (corrected by using the in vitro % recovery of each probe) were increased by the inclusion of 100 mM of KCl into the perfusion medium (2.5-, 3-, 3.5-, 1.5- and 30-fold, respectively, while DOPAC (6 microM), HVA (5 microM) and 5-HIAA (3 microM) levels were (72%, 68% and 45% respectively). DA was strongly diminished in the denervated striatum, but when detectable, could be increased (1- to 12-fold) by KCl stimulation. Adenosine, inosine, hypoxanthine and guanosine were, however, largely unaffected by the DA denervation and could be enhanced by KCl stimulation (2-, 3-, 4- and 1.5-fold respectively). The present results indicate that: (1) as in the case for DA, there is a pool of striatal adenosine which is releasable by high concentrations of extracellular K+; however, (2) this pool of adenosine seems not to be significantly modified by mesencephalic dopamine deafferentation.

Decreased plasma serotonin in melancholic patients: a study with clomipramine

Eighteen unmedicated patients suffering from major depressive disorder with melancholia (DSM-III) were examined for abnormalities in peripheral serotonin (5-HT) and related metabolites. Serotonin in platelet-free plasma and in platelets from melancholics was significantly reduced to 30% and 60% of their respective control values. Plasma 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid was also found to be reduced, but not significantly. Other plasma compounds related to 5-HT (indoleacetic acid, total tryptophan, and free tryptophan) were found to be unchanged in these patients. Of all variables, only platelet 5-HT was affected while patients were on clomipramine (CIM) treatment. After 2 weeks on CIM (100-150 mg/day, orally), platelet 5-HT was reduced to 8% of pretreatment values, but plasma 5-HT did not change and continued to be reduced upon clinical recovery. The existence of a distinct pool of plasma 5-HT that is clearly independent of the platelet pool is indicated by the differences observed in plasma and platelet 5-HT during CIM treatment, as well as by previous data from this laboratory. The very marked decrease in plasma 5-HT levels may be in accord with the central nervous system changes reported in depression and suggests the possibility of using plasma 5-HT as a peripheral indicator of abnormal serotonin function in melancholia.

Myoclonic movements as a side-effect of treatment with therapeutic doses of clomipramine

Myoclonic movements have been observed in depressed patients receiving therapeutic doses of clomipramine. Such movements, which appear in states of deep muscular relaxation such as sleep, do not appear to have any repercussion in the outcome of the depression and are reversible following withdrawal of the drug. In this study the plasma levels of clomipramine and desmethylclomipramine were determined and their possible relationship with myoclonus studied. No statistically significant relationships were found.

Enhanced binding of [3H] (-) adrenaline to platelets of depressed patients with melancholia: effect of long-term clomipramine treatment

The specific binding of the full agonist [3H] (-) adrenaline to platelet membranes was measured in 14 drug-free depressed patients with melancholia. There was an increased number of binding sites (Bmax) with the same apparent affinity (KD) for the radioligand, indicating that platelet alpha 2-adrenoceptor density in the high affinity state was increased in depressed patients. Long-term administration of clomipramine was associated with decreases in platelet alpha 2-adrenoceptor densities which correlated with the duration of treatment. The results support the hypothesis that in endogenous depression there is a dysfunction of the alpha 2-adrenoceptor and that antidepressant treatment might involve a time-dependent desensitization process of this receptor.

L-dopa causes an acute, partial and reversible reversal of denervation-induced supersensitivity of striatal dopaminergic receptors

Denervation-induced supersensitivity of the striatal dopamine receptors can be quantified by the turning behaviour induced by apomorphine. With this experimental model we found that high-dose L-dopa/carbidopa administration reduced this supersensitivity. This effect was seen on the 1st day and did not alter over 5 or 10 days of treatment, but disappeared when medication was discontinued. The degree of reduction was the same, independent of the dose and period of administration. This effect could provide a useful model for studying the phenomenon of the irreversibility of the supersensitivity of the striatal dopamine receptors.