Effects of 3-iodo-L-tyrosine, a tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor, on eye pigmentation and biogenic amines in the planarian, Dugesia dorotocephala

Planarians (Dugesia dorotocephala) were evaluated as bioassay organisms to detect inhibition of tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of catecholamines. Thirty planaria per dose were exposed to 0 (control), 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, or 1 mM 3-iodo-L-tyrosine (monoiodotyrosine or MIT) in standard test media beginning 24 hr before decapitation and continuing for 13 days. Complete regeneration of normal heads occurred over the first 6 days in all dose groups, a response reported to be partially dependent on catecholamines. Beginning on Day 7, the black eye pigments began fading in the 0.1 and 1 mM dose groups and were completely absent macroscopically and histologically by Day 11. The 0, 0.001, and 0.01 mM dose groups did not lose visible eye pigments. On Day 13, 3 planaria/dose were harvested for histopathology; 15 planaria/dose were decapitated a second time and remained in MIT solutions; and 12 planaria/dose were left intact, placed in fresh control media, and evaluated for eye repigmentation. Normal head regeneration (including eyes) was detected grossly in all groups, even in those animals devoid of eye pigments at the time of decapitation. As before, eye pigments began fading 7 days after decapitation (Day 20 of experiment) and were completely absent in 73 and 33% of the animals in the 0.1 and 1 mM groups, respectively, on Day 25. All animals moved to control media reformed eye pigments, beginning within 48 hr. Analysis of the decapitated heads by HPLC-ECD on Day 13 revealed a significant decrease in dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) concentrations in MIT-exposed animals. Tyrosine hydroxylase activity (and possibly tyrosinase activity) was shown to be inhibited by the highest two concentrations for whole planaria homogenates in vitro.

Childhood-onset schizophrenia: brain MRI rescan after 2 years of clozapine maintenance treatment

OBJECTIVE

The effect of clozapine on striatal morphology was examined in adolescents with childhood-onset schizophrenia.

METHOD

Eight adolescent patients with onset of psychosis before age 12 and eight matched comparison subjects had initial and 2-year follow-up brain magnetic resonance imaging scans. Basal ganglia and lateral ventricle volumes were measured. The patients were on a clozapine regimen during the 2-year interim.

RESULTS

Caudate volume was larger in the patients at the initial scanning, decreased in the patients between scans, and did not differ significantly between the patients and the comparison subjects at the second scanning.

CONCLUSIONS

Caudate enlargement in patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia who are taking typical neuroleptics appears to be secondary to medication exposure. Rescanning to examine basal ganglia morphology is indicated for these patients when they are taking an atypical neuroleptic.

Atypical MRI findings in treatment-related leukoencephalopathy: case report

A patient with acute myeloblastic leukaemia showed atypical findings on MRI following combination therapy including intrathecal methotrexate and radiation. MRI findings not previously been reported are ring as well as patchy enhancement, marked mass effect and lesions extending to the putamen and corpus callosum.

In vivo electrochemical studies of dopamine overflow and clearance in the striatum of normal and MPTP-treated rhesus monkeys

Rapid chronoamperometric recordings, using Nafion-coated carbon-fiber electrodes (30-90 microns o.d.), were used to investigate overflow and uptake of dopamine (DA) in the striatum of normal and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated rhesus monkeys. The monkeys were anesthetized with isoflurane and placed in a stereotaxic apparatus. Magnetic resonance imaging-guided sterile stereotaxic procedures were used for implantations of the electrochemical electrodes coupled with single-barrel micropipettes that were used to apply potassium or DA locally. Potassium evoked a robust overflow of DA-like electrochemical signals into the brain extracellular space in the unlesioned or normal putamen and caudate nucleus of the rhesus monkeys. In contrast, potassium did not produce any detectable changes (> 97% depletion) of DA in the MPTP-lesioned striatum. In addition, the diffusion/clearance of locally applied DA was markedly altered in the lesioned caudate nucleus and putamen compared with unlesioned striatum. Cell counts of the number of residual tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons in MPTP-treated monkeys, in conjunction with whole-tissue levels of DA and its metabolites, showed that the MPTP lesions produced extensive damage of the nigrostriatal DA system. These data indicate that residual dopaminergic fibers remaining after MPTP lesions are dysfunctional and have a greatly diminished capacity for high-affinity DA uptake.

Alteration of dopamine release by rat caudate putamen tissues superfused with alpha 2-macroglobulin

Monoamine-activated alpha-2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) has been shown to decrease the dopamine concentrations in rat caudate putamen (CP) in vivo as well as inhibit choline acetyltransferase activities in the culture of basal forebrain neurons. In this study, we further investigated the effects of methylamine-activated alpha 2M (MA-alpha 2M) upon striatal dopaminergic function by determining whether a direct infusion of this glycoprotein will alter dopamine (DA) release in vitro from superfused CP tissue fragments. In experiment 1, an infusion of 2.8 microM MA-alpha 2M produced a statistically significant increase in DA release compared with control superfusions. In experiment 2, varying doses (0, 0.7, 1.4, 2.8, 4.1 microM) of MA-alpha 2M were tested for their capacity to alter DA release. Only the 2.8 microM dose of MA-alpha 2M was effective in producing a significant increase of DA release. In experiment 3, the normal form of alpha 2M (N-alpha 2M) at 2.8 microM was compared with the control superfusions. The infusion of N-alpha 2M produced an increase in DA release which was substantially lower than the DA increase induced by MA-alpha 2M, and not significantly different from that of the control superfusion. These results show that MA-alpha 2M, like some other neurotoxins, can markedly alter CP dopaminergic function as indicated by the acute increase in DA release following infusion of this glycoprotein, and these effects are exerted at a relatively narrow range of doses. Taken together, these data suggest that this glycoprotein, if allowed to accumulate in the central nervous system (CNS), may promote some neurodegenerative changes that can occur in disorders like Parkinson's disease.

Effect of alpha-MSH upon cyclic AMP levels induced by the glutamatergic agonists NMDA, quisqualic acid, and kainic acid

This study was carried out to investigate possible interactions between some glutamatergic agonists and the peptide alpha-MSH upon the cyclic AMP levels. We used an in vitro tissue slice preparation incubated in the presence of different glutamatergic agonists such as N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA), quisqualic acid (QUIS), kainic acid (KA), and the peptide alpha-MSH together with each agonist. Slices containing caudate putamen and accumbens were chosen according to neurochemical data indicating that the striatum contains a moderate amount of MSH binding sites and also receives glutamatergic innervation. Exposure of these slices to either MSH or to the agonists NMDA or QUIS resulted in an increase in the cAMP levels in relation to controls. Nevertheless, incubation with KA resulted in no changes in the nucleotide levels. The combination of MSH/NMDA induced a reduction of cAMP levels in relation to those obtained with NMDA alone. The combinations of QUIS/MSH or KA/MSH also induced variations in the values of nucleotide in relation to the those obtained with the peptide alone or with the corresponding agonist; these changes were related to the dose of agonist used in each case. The results obtained in these experiments suggest the existence of some interaction between the peptide and the agonist used.

6-[18F]fluoro-L-DOPA-PET studies show partial reversibility of long-term effects of chronic amphetamine in monkeys

The acute and long-term effects of chronic amphetamine administration on the striatal dopamine system in monkeys were assessed with 6-[18F]fluoro-L-DOPA (FDOPA) and positron emission tomography (PET). Vervet monkeys (Cerecopithecus aethiops) were administered amphetamine doses, i.m., that increased from 4 mg/kg/d to 18 mg/kg/d over a 10 day period. Post-amphetamine FDOPA-PET scans at 1-2, 3-4, and 6 week time points in individual subjects showed persistent decrements in dopamine synthesis capacity as reflected by FDOPA influx rate constant (Ki) values being approximately 30% that of pre-drug assessment. In other animals that were administered the same drug regimen, biochemical analysis of striatal regions at 1-2 weeks post-drug indicated that dopamine concentrations were decreased by approximately 95% throughout caudate and putamen regions, while the homovanillic acid/dopamine level ratio was increased 3-10-fold. Post-drug FDOPA-PET Ki values remained consistently low up to 6 weeks; however, at the 5-6 month time point, relative increases in FDOPA-Ki values (approximately 53% of pre-drug values) were observed for all subjects, indicative of partial recovery of striatal dopamine synthesis capacity. These results demonstrate that FDOPA-PET can reveal temporal activity changes within the striatal dopamine system of individual subjects. The apparent, partial reversibility of amphetamine's neurotoxic effects suggests a plasticity of dopaminergic function that may include regeneration of dopaminergic terminals and compensatory increases in residual dopamine synthesis rates. The persistence of the partial decrement in dopamine synthesis capacity, however, may indicate a long term component of amphetamine's toxic effects.

Interaction between striatal excitatory amino acid and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in the turning behaviour of rats

N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA, 500 ng/0.5 microliters), alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxasole-propionic acid (AMPA, 1000 ng/0.5 microliters), or kainic acid (50 ng/0.5 microliters) injected into intermediate and caudal parts of the caudate-putamen induced contralateral head turns and rotations. Picrotoxin (250 ng/0.5 microliters) injected into the same striatal region 30 min before NMDA, AMPA, or kainic acid strongly increased the contralateral turning induced by each of those compounds. The present results suggest that blockade of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor complex by picrotoxin rendered striatal neurons more sensitive to the action of glutamate on NMDA and non-NMDA receptors.

The behavioral effects of MK-801 injected into nucleus accumbens and caudate-putamen of rats

In this study, we investigated the behavioral effects of MK-801 (1-20 micrograms) injected into the posterior parts of nucleus accumbens (ACC) and caudate-putamen (CP) in rats. Interactions of diazepam (DZP, 10 micrograms), haloperidol (HPD, 2 micrograms), and scopolamine (SCOP, 10 micrograms) with 20 micrograms of MK-801 were also studied. All injections were done in 2 microliters. In ACC, MK-801 increased locomotion, rearing, and head shakes. The effect of MK-801 especially at 20 micrograms was accompanied by a motor syndrome: head weaves, circling, body rolls, and ataxia. DZP nonsignificantly reduced the locomotion but it significantly (p < 0.05) reduced head shakes, weaves, circling, and body rolls produced by MK-801. HPD reduced grooming and head shakes. SCOP potentiated MK-801 hyperlocomotion, whereas it decreased body rolls, head shakes, and weaves. In CP, MK-801 increased locomotion, but less than in ACC (p < 0.05). The effect of MK-801 was significantly increased by SCOP. MK-801 also increased grooming (reduced by HPD and increased by SCOP) and at 5-20 micrograms induced oral movements that were decreased by HPD. These results indicate that the posterior part of ACC is involved in MK-801 hyperlocomotion and motor syndromes, whereas CP is involved in mediating grooming and oral movements. Blockade of the muscarinic cholinergic receptors seems to facilitate hyperlocomotion and decrease head shakes produced by MK-801. Mechanisms influenced by DZP and HPD appear to be involved in motor syndrome and oral movement, respectively, induced by MK-801, but not in hyperlocomotion.

Risperidone does not elevate neurotensin mRNA in rat nucleus accumbens and caudate-putamen

The ability of the novel antipsychotic drug risperidone to alter striatal neurotensin mRNA levels was investigated and compared with the typical antipsychotic drug haloperidol. Quantitative in situ hybridization studies revealed that risperidone treatment does not affect neurotensin mRNA levels in nucleus accumbens or caudate-putamen. This absence of effect contrasts with the dramatic increases in neurotensin mRNA seen after haloperidol treatment in these brain regions. Our results, while conforming the atypical nature of risperidone, do not support the notion that neurotensin elevation in the nucleus accumbens is necessary for the development of an antipsychotic effect.

Nitric oxide regulation of methamphetamine-induced dopamine release in caudate/putamen

A possible role for NO modulation of dopamine (DA) release in the caudate/putamen (CPU) during methamphetamine (METH) exposure was investigated using in vivo microdialysis in rats. Inclusion of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors NG-nitro-L-arginine (NOARG), NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or D-NAME (less potent inhibitor) in the microdialysis buffer prior to METH minimally affected basal levels of DA, DOPAC or HVA in CPU microdialysate. However, L-NAME and NOARG produced concentration-dependent decreases of up to 64% (100 microM) in CPU DA levels in microdialysate during exposure to four doses of METH (5 mg/kg i.p./2 h), with lesser effects on DOPAC or HVA. Reversal of the NOARG inhibition was produced by inclusion of 500 microM of either L-arginine or L-citrulline in the microdialysate. D-NAME (100 microM) minimally affected levels of DA or metabolites. Paradoxically, inclusion of from 20 to 2 microM of the NOx generators isosorbide dinitrate (ISON) or sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in the microdialysis buffer decreased DA and DOPAC levels in microdialysate during METH exposure. This paradox might result from the concentrations of NOx produced by SNP or ISON being great and not regionally specific resulting in inhibition of DA release and/or synthesis while the NO generated endogenously during METH exposure may have localized and site-specific actions. Alternatively, NOx may inhibit NOS or other enzymes in the NO synthesis pathway, thereby reducing levels of an intermediate (other than NO) which potentiates DA release. In their entirety, our results indicate that NO generation in the CPU may augment the release of DA during METH exposure.

Dopamine agonists used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and their selectivity for the D1, D2, and D3 dopamine receptors in human striatum

1. It has been suggested that an ideal antiparkinsonian treatment requires stimulation of both D1 and D2 dopamine receptors. Bromocriptine and lisuride are regarded as pure D2 receptor agonists, whereas pergolide and apomorphine are thought to stimulate both D1 and D2 receptors. 2. The aim of this study was to compare the affinities of bromocriptine, lisuride, pergolide, and apomorphine for the D1, D2, and D3 receptors in postmortem human striatum. The dissociation constants (Ki values) of the dopamine agonists were determined from competition binding experiments with selective radioligands. 3. The Ki values of the orally administered agonists--bromocriptine, pergolide, and lisuride--for the D2 receptors were proportional to their optimal doses against parkinsonism. Ki(D1)/Ki(D2) ratios were 23 for lisuride, 67 for pergolide, 60 for bromocriptine, and 2.6 for apomorphine. Ki(D3)/Ki(D2) ratios were 0.4 for lisuride, 1 for pergolide, 5.4 for bromocriptine, and 21 for apomorphine. 4. The present results support the hypothesis that the antiparkinsonian effect of dopamine agonists is mediated primarily by D2 receptors. Apomorphine is a mixed D1/D2 agonist, but pergolide has no more D1 agonist properties than bromocriptine and lisuride. The role of the D3 receptors is unknown, but their activation might either be associated with the generation of psychiatric side-effects or dyskinesias, or alternatively add to antiparkinsonian activity.

Age-related changes in potassium-evoked overflow of dopamine in the striatum of the rhesus monkey

Rapid (5 Hz) chronoamperometric recordings using Nafion-coated carbon fiber electrodes (30-90 microns o.d.) combined with pressure-ejection of potassium from micropipettes were used to investigate potassium-evoked overflow of dopamine (DA) in the striatum of young (5 to 10 years old) and middle-aged (19 to 23 years old) anesthetized rhesus monkeys. The potassium-evoked DA-like signals from the 19- to 23-year-old animals were significantly lower in amplitude than those recorded in the young animals. In addition, the temporal dynamics of DA signals in the caudate nucleus of middle-aged animals were faster, while the time courses of the signals recorded in the putamen of middle-aged monkeys were significantly longer as compared to the signals recorded from young animals. Moreover, home cage activity levels of the middle-aged animals were significantly lower. Taken together, these data support age-related changes in the output of DA from DA fibers in the striatum of middle-aged monkeys.

A comparison of the behavioural effects of embryonic nigral grafts in the caudate nucleus and in the putamen of marmosets with unilateral 6-OHDA lesions

The behaviour of marmosets with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the nigrostriatal bundle and grafts of embryonic mesencephalon in either the caudate nucleus or the putamen was compared with that of lesion-alone and unoperated controls. The grafts comprised injections of cell suspensions prepared from marmoset ventral mesencephalon (i.e. allografts) targeted at four sites either entirely within the caudate nucleus or entirely within the putamen. Behavioural tests, including measures of amphetamine-induced rotation, neglect and use of each arm to retrieve food from inside tubes, were given before and after the 6-hydroxydopamine lesion and at regular intervals for 6 months after transplantation surgery. Grafts in the caudate nucleus reduced the ipsilateral rotation induced by amphetamine, whereas grafts in the putamen did not. Despite the absence of an effect on rotation, the putamen grafts were effective in reducing lesion-induced deficits on the task in which the marmosets were required to reach into tubes. In this latter task, the caudate grafts were also effective when the monkeys were given a free choice of which hand to use. However, when constrained to use the hand contralateral to the lesion and graft, the performance of the marmosets with caudate grafts was not significantly improved compared with that of lesion-alone controls. Neither the grafts in the caudate nucleus nor the grafts in the putamen abolished the contralateral somatosensory neglect induced by the lesion, although there was a trend for the marmosets with putamen grafts to contact the label on the contralateral side more quickly than those with caudate grafts or the lesion-alone controls. These results demonstrate that the location of embryonic nigral grafts within the primate striatum influences the profile of functional recovery.

Effects of L-DOPA on preproenkephalin and preprotachykinin gene expression in the MPTP-treated monkey striatum

The cellular expression of the genes encoding the neuropeptides enkephalin and substance P were examined in the caudate nucleus and putamen of parkinsonian 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated cynomolgus monkeys by in situ hybridization using radioactive antisense oligonucleotides coupled with computer-assisted image analysis. Behavioural evaluation of the animals revealed two levels of motor impairment; one group moderately impaired and the other severely disabled. A marked increase in the cellular content of preproenkephalin A messenger RNA was observed in medium-sized (106 +/- 9 microns2) cells in the caudate-putamen of all MPTP animals when compared with controls, the increase being greatest in the most severely impaired animals. By contrast, a marked reduction in the cellular abundance of preprotachykinin gene expression was detected in striatal cells (101 +/- 16 microns2) of these same MPTP animals. These changes in neuropeptide gene expression were not associated with a change in the density (approximately 10 cells per mm2) of messenger RNA-expressing cells. L-DOPA treatment of two of the severely-impaired MPTP monkeys resulted in a dissociation of expression of these two genes: the cellular abundance of preproenkephalin A remained elevated whilst preprotachykinin levels were normalized and comparable with controls. No change in the cellular abundance of preprotachykinin messenger RNA was observed in cells of the insular cortex or a small discrete population of large cells (208 +/- 27 microns2) in the ventral putamen. These results demonstrate that MPTP treatment of primates results in a marked potentiation in preproenkephalin messenger RNA coupled with a attenuation in preprotachykinin messenger RNA in the dopamine-denervated caudate-putamen. L-DOPA therapy given on an intermittent schedule reverses the decrease in preprotachykinin messenger RNA, but fails to reverse the increase in preproenkephalin messenger RNA in the same animal. These observations suggest that a dissociation of the activity of these two neuropeptide systems may underlie the improvement in motor skill that accompanies dopamine replacement therapy and that this dissociation may be instrumental in the long-term complications associated with L-DOPA therapy.

Kainic acid decreases hippocampal neuronal number and increases dopamine receptor binding in the nucleus accumbens: an animal model of schizophrenia

Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of kainic acid (KA) produces graded neuronal loss in the hippocampus and other regions of the medial temporal lobe. Many of these brain regions send excitatory projections to the nucleus accumbens, a dopaminergic brain area implicated in psychotomimetic and antipsychotic drug action. In the present study, neurochemical function in the nucleus accumbens and anterior caudate-putamen was examined one week after i.c.v. administration of 1.5, 4.5, or 6.6 nmol of KA. As expected, i.c.v. KA produced dose-dependent neuronal loss in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus. Extrahippocampal neuronal loss was also observed in the thalamus and piriform cortex in some of the KA-treated rats. While ambient levels of dopamine turnover and excitatory amino acids in the nucleus accumbens were unaltered by KA, administration of the highest KA dose elevated [3H]spiperone binding exclusively in the accumbens. Finally, behavioral hyperactivity was observed in KA-treated rats over a five-week period following i.c.v. administration. The pattern of neuronal loss, receptor upregulation, and behavioral hyperactivity found after i.c.v. KA administration may provide a useful animal model of the limbic neuropathology and neurochemical dysfunction associated with schizophrenia.

Chronic haloperidol potentiates stimulated glutamate release in caudate putamen, but not prefrontal cortex

Rats were given haloperidol continuously for 6 months via subcutaneous implants. Extracellular concentrations of basal and high K(+)-stimulated GABA and glutamate in the lateral caudate putamen and the medial prefrontal cortex were then assessed using microdialysis. While there were no significant differences in basal extracellular concentrations in either brain region, chronic haloperidol-treated rats showed significantly greater increases in glutamate following stimulation with high K+ in the caudate putamen, but not the prefrontal cortex. This effect was accompanied by an attenuation of K(+)-stimulated GABA overflow in the caudate putamen. These results suggest regionally selective alterations in amino acid transmitter function which may be related to chronic neuroleptic-induced motor side effects.

Neurotoxicity of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 tat transactivator to PC12 cells requires the Tat amino acid 49-58 basic domain

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) frequently involves the central nervous system (CNS) and manifests as dementia due to encephalitis or diffuse neurodegeneration. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) proteins, potentially transported into the CNS by mononuclear inflammatory cells, have been implicated in the etiology of this HIV-1 associated neurological dysfunction. Here we investigate the neurotoxicity of the essential HIV-1 regulator protein Tat in vivo after microinfusion into the rat brain and in vitro using PC12, NG108-15, and GT17 neuronal cell lines. Infusion of either chemically synthesized Tat (Tat86) or recombinant Tat (rTat) into the striatal gray matter in Sprague-Dawley rats resulted in postural deviation ipsilateral to the infusion, a clinical presentation in rats associated with complete striatal dysfunction. Histologic examination 3 days after infusion revealed massive necrosis in the area of the distribution of the infusion. Infusion of heat denatured rTat, peptide Tat49-58, or peptide Tat57-86 did not result in clinically or histologically detectable brain damage. After 3 days incubation in vitro, the lethal dose for half (LD50) of PC12 cells due to rTat was 5 micrograms/ml. The LD50 for Tat86 under the same conditions was 10 micrograms/ml. Tat49-58 and Tat57-86 peptides were not toxic in vitro even at 10-fold higher doses. At 5 micrograms/ml, rTat was toxic to 100% of GT17 cells after 24 hr. At 5 micrograms/ml, Tat86 was toxic to 90% of the NG108-15 cells after 7 days of treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

L-DOPA reverses altered gene expression of substance P but not enkephalin in the caudate-putamen of common marmosets treated with MPTP

The mRNA levels encoding neuropeptides were measured in the caudate nucleus, putamen and nucleus accumbens of common marmosets exposed to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine pyridine (MPTP). Motor deficits induced by MPTP treatment were characterized by akinesia, postural abnormalities and rigidity. Seven days after MPTP treatment, there was a marked increase in levels of enkephalin mRNA in the caudate nucleus and putamen. In contrast, the hybridization signal for substance P mRNA was reduced. Alterations in the mRNA encoding neuropeptides were similar but less extensive in marmosets at 18-50 months following MPTP treatment. No significant changes in enkephalin or substance P mRNA in the nucleus accumbens were observed at either time. Treatment with L-DOPA plus carbidopa for 4 weeks reversed MPTP-induce motor deficits and other behavioural abnormalities. The decrease in substance P mRNA in the striatum of MPTP-treated animals was reversed by L-DOPA treatment and reached levels above those found in normal animals. In contrast, the increase in enkephalin mRNA in marmosets treated with MPTP was not altered by L-DOPA treatment. In the nucleus accumbens the levels of peptide mRNA were not affected by L-DOPA treatment. Loss of nigral dopamine cells in a primate species causes opposing alterations in the expression of enkephalin and substance P mRNA in the caudate nucleus and putamen. No changes were observed in the nucleus accumbens, which reflects the resistance of the mesolimbic neurons to MPTP toxicity. While the decrease in substance P mRNA was reversed by L-DOPA treatment, the increase in enkephalin mRNA was not. This may partly indicate the greater effect of L-DOPA on the direct GABA pathway compared to the indirect output pathway from the striatum.

Fenfluramine-induced c-fos in the striatum and hypothalamus: a tract-tracing study

Systemic administration of DL-fenfluramine (20 mg kg-1), an indirect serotonergic agonist, induced widespread FOS-like protein in the rat caudate putamen (CPu), paraventricular nucleus (PVn) of the hypothalamus and several intralaminar thalamic nuclei. To ascertain whether the dopaminergic nigrostriatal system coordinated transcriptional effects on the CPu, discrete microinjections of dextran into the substantia nigra (cell group A9) were evaluated for retrograde axonal transport. The protein product was induced preferentially in medium-sized spiny nerve cells of the CPu. Dextran microinjections into the PVn demonstrated that perikarya bearing FOS-like protein projected their extensions directly to thalamic nuclei and indirectly to immunopositive neurons of the striatum. The significance of these latter results is discussed in terms of a possible dopaminergic mechanism.

No elevated D2 dopamine receptors in neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients revealed by positron emission tomography and [11C]N-methylspiperone

The dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia received strong support when a two- to three-fold elevation of D2 receptor densities was demonstrated by positron emission tomography (PET) and [11C]N-methylspiperone ([11C]NMSP). In the present study, the reproducibility of this finding was examined by application of a similar method in seven normal comparison subjects and seven neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients examined by PET before and after administration of haloperidol, 7.5 mg. After haloperidol, the specific binding of [11C]NMSP was reduced by 80-90%, resulting in a signal-to-noise ratio that was unfavorably low for reliable quantification. No significant difference was found between normal subjects and patients in a descriptive analysis of the time-activity curves or in a nonequilibrium graphical determination of D2 receptor densities in the basal ganglia. The results are consistent with those of a previous quantitative PET study of [11C]raclopride binding, which showed normal densities of D2 receptors in the striatum of neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients.

Basal ganglia T2 relaxation times in schizophrenia: a quantitative magnetic resonance imaging study in relation to tardive dyskinesia

Transverse, or spin-spin, relaxation times (T2) from magnetic resonance images of basal ganglia structures were compared between control subjects and patients with schizophrenia, who were subdivided on the basis of the presence or absence of tardive dyskinesia. As a group, schizophrenic patients showed evidence of somewhat more prolonged T2 relaxation times in the right putamen and globus pallidus than did control subjects; there were no significant correlations between hemispheric T2 values and corresponding volumes of the lateral ventricles. Overall, there was little difference in T2 values between patients with and without tardive dyskinesia. These data extend the range of evidence for basal ganglia dysfunction in schizophrenia, but they do not support earlier reports of prominent T2 changes associated with tardive dyskinesia.

Delayed onset generalised dystonia after cyanide poisoning

A 27 year old female developed delayed onset of persistent generalized dystonia following a suicidal attempt with potassium cyanide. Cranial CT scan showed bilateral putaminal hypodensities which were also seen on MRI scans to be hypointense on T1 and hyperintense on T2 weighted images. Multimodality evoked potentials were normal. An improvement was noted with levodopa.

Methanol intoxication with putaminal and white matter necrosis: MR and CT findings

We report a case of methanol intoxication in which the initial CT scans appeared normal. MR at 4 days showed the typical putaminal lesions of methanol intoxication and, in addition, peripheral white matter lesions that spared a thin rim of subcortical white matter. A CT scan at 17 days showed the putaminal and white matter lesions. The white matter lesions correspond well to lesions previously described in pathologic specimens.

Subcellular distribution of receptor sites in human brain: differentiation between heavy and light structures of high and low density

Studies of the subcellular localization of neuroreceptors in the rat brain have shown that most of them are associated with light and low density subcellular fractions. In two human brain areas, quite different subcellular distributions were observed. After fractionation by differential centrifugation of frontal cortex homogenates, benzodiazepine and serotonin 5-HT2 receptors were mainly found in the heavy mitochondrial (M) fraction, whereas mu-opiate and muscarinic cholinergic receptors were mainly concentrated in the microsomal (P) fraction. In human putamen, the presynaptic markers of dopaminergic nerve terminals (neurotensin receptors, dopamine uptake sites and amine vesicular transporter-binding sites), benzodiazepine receptors and serotonin uptake sites were recovered both in the high and low density fractions, whereas the muscarinic, opiate and, to a lesser extent, dopamine D2 receptors were mostly concentrated in the microsomal fraction. In the cerebral cortex, after isopycnic centrifugation in sucrose gradients, neuroreceptors were found in the high density fractions where the peaks of cytochrome oxidase and that of nerve endings, as identified by amine uptake and by means of electron microscopy were also found. A single peak of benzodiazepine receptors was observed in high density (1.15-1.17 g/ml) fractions suggesting that these receptors are much more concentrated in the nerve terminals or dendrites rather than in the dendritic spines or vesicles. The fact that muscarinic and opiate receptors were recovered in the P fraction with plasma membrane constituents and also in M and L fractions, which is confirmed by a bimodal distribution in sucrose gradient, suggests that they are localized in both the nerve terminals or dendrites and in the small vesicles or dendritic spines. In the putamen, much of the specific binding to uptake sites for dopamine and serotonin was recovered in the high density fractions, but the existence of another peak at a lower density indicates the presence of microsomal uptake sites. The results indicate that differential and isopycnic fractionation methods performed on human brain samples, make it possible to separate tissue fractions enriched in nerve endings, dendrites, dendritic spines, plasma membranes or vesicles.