Responsiveness of nigral neurons to the stimulation of striatal dopaminergic receptors in the rat

Augmentation as a treatment complication of restless legs syndrome: Concept and management

Augmentation constitutes the main complication of long-term dopaminergic treatment in restless legs syndrome (RLS). Although this condition was first described in 1996, and is characterized by an overall increase in severity of RLS symptoms (including earlier onset of symptoms during the day, faster onset of symptoms when at rest, expansion to the upper limbs and trunk, and shorter duration of the treatment effect), precise diagnostic criteria were not established until 2003. These criteria have recently been updated to form a new definition of augmentation based on multicentric studies. The present article reviews our current knowledge on clinical diagnosis, evaluation, pathophysiology, and treatment recommendations for this condition.

Dopamine neuron ontogeny: electrophysiological studies

The ontogeny of nigrostriatal dopamine (NSDA) neurons was examined with single-unit extracellular electrophysiological methods. The physiological and pharmacological characteristics of 2-, 4-, and 5-week-old rat pup NSDA neurons were compared with those of adults (8-10 weeks old). Although the basal discharge rate, conduction velocity, and firing pattern of NSDA neurons from 4- and 5-week-old rats were similar to adults, the 2-week-old-rats differed significantly in all three of these physiological characteristics. The conduction velocity and basal discharge rate were found to be significantly lower in the 2-week-old pups relative to adults. In addition, there were significantly fewer bursting NSDA neurons in 2-week-olds than there were in adults. Two and 4-week-olds exhibited significantly lower sensitivity to cumulative intravenous doses of apomorphine. In contrast, the sensitivity to cumulative intravenous doses of quinpirole was found to be similar across all age groups. It is evident that the pharmacological and physiological properties of NSDA neurons are in a dynamic state of flux during postnatal development. These electrophysiological findings are discussed in the context of the perinatal development of midbrain DA systems.

Dopamine-containing neurons in the mammalian central nervous system: electrophysiology and pharmacology

A decade of research culminated in the late 1950's with the demonstration that dopamine was a chemical neurotransmitter within the mammalian brain. Since this time, dopaminergic neuronal systems have been extensively studied using numerous techniques. This paper will review the last 14 years of electrophysiological investigation on neurochemically identified dopamine-containing neurons in the central nervous system. This will include an examination of both the electrophysiological and pharmacological characteristics in these cells, as well as the resulting insights into the regulation of dopamine cell electrical activity which is derived from this work.

Differential action of bromocriptine on nigrostriatal versus mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons

The present study was undertaken to compare the abilities of the dopaminergic agonists apomorphine, bromocriptine, and lergotrile to inhibit the synthesis of dopamine (DA) in terminals of nigrostriatal and mesolimbic DA neurons. The in vivo synthesis of DA was estimated by measuring the rate of accumulation of dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) in terminals of nigrostriatal (striatum) and mesolimbic (nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle) neurons 30 min after the administration of NSD 1015, a decarboxylase inhibitor. The activation of DA autoreceptors in these regions was evaluated by measuring the abilities of the DA agonists to inhibit DA synthesis in brain regions of rats pretreated with gamma-butyrolactone (GBL). Apomorphine (0.03-1.0 mg/kg for 45 min) and bromocriptine (0.1-10 mg/kg for 90 min) produced dose-dependent decreases in the rate of DA synthesis in all three brain regions of both vehicle- and GBL-treated rats. A time course of the effects of the highest dose of bromocriptine (10 mg/kg), however, demonstrated dramatic regional differences in the ability of this drug to inhibit DA synthesis in saline-versus GBL-pretreated rats. Bromocriptine inhibited the GBL-induced increase in DA synthesis for 6 hours in all regions examined. In the striatum of saline-treated rats the decrease in DA synthesis was evident only at 1.5 hours after bromocriptine administration, while in the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle DA synthesis remained inhibited for 6 hours. By contrast, lergotrile reduced DA synthesis to a similar extent in all three regions for at least 6 hours in both vehicle- and GBL-treated rats. These results suggest that there is no regional difference in the ability of bromocriptine to inhibit DA synthesis via DA autoreceptor mechanisms, but there appear to be differences in postsynaptic DA receptor-mediated mechanisms which regulate nigrostriatal versus mesolimbic DA neurons.

The functional role of the nucleus accumbens in the control of the substantia nigra: electrophysiological investigations in intact and striatum-globus pallidus lesioned rats

The effects of electrical stimulation of the nucleus accumbens on the activity of identified substantia nigra neurons were studied in intact and lesioned rats. The latter had both the caudate-putamen complex and globus pallidus destroyed by electrolytic lesions. In intact rats a total of 42 of 107 neurons (39.2%) responded to stimulation of the nucleus accumbens. Of the 107 neurons 32 (29.8%) were inhibited and 10 (9.4%) were excited. Pure short inhibitions, long latency inhibitions and excitations followed by inhibition were found in both parts of the substantia nigra. Pure long lasting inhibitions were determined on pars compacta cells only. In lesioned animals, in which the coactivation of striatal and/or cortical fibers traversing the accumbens region was avoided, the percentage of responsive neurons decreased to 20% (23/115). The predominant responses recorded in this situation were pure inhibitions of pars compacta cells (14/46) and long latency inhibitions of pars reticulata neurons (7/69). No pure excitation or excitation-inhibition sequence was recorded. In the two sets of experiments 5 cells were activated antidromically from the nucleus accumbens. The results provide electrophysiological evidence for an inhibitory pathway from the nucleus accumbens to the substantia nigra. The low percentage of responsive neurons, the lack of excitatory responses, the paucity of reciprocal connections and the different inhibitory effects on the two populations of nigral neurons demonstrate that the functional role of the nucleus accumbens in controlling the substantia nigra differs from that exerted by the striatum.

A dopamine-sensitive striatal efferent system mapped with [14C]deoxyglucose in the rat

Rats which had exhibited contralateral rotation following unilateral injection of dopamine (DA) through a striatal cannula were given 0.5 - 50 micrograms DA intrastriatally and then were injected with [14C]deoxyglucose peripherally to measure glucose utilization in the striatum and its projection nuclei. Quantitative autoradiographic techniques were used to measure glucose utilization. Brain areas which showed L-R asymmetries and changes in glucose utilization different from vehicle-injected animals were: the substantia nigra (pars compacta and pars reticulata), the subthalamic n., entopeduncular n., lateral habenula, and deep layers of the superior colliculus. The globus pallidus was affected also, but only in one group for which the injected DA may have spread and affected it directly. Each of these areas receives projections from the striatum or is one additional synapse away. Intrastriatal injections of norepinephrine, isoproterenol, and procaine did not produce changes in glucose utilization in the striatal projection nuclei. The results support the existence of a DA-sensitive strionigral system to both the reticulata and compacta regions of the nigra, and suggest that this activity is paralleled by a strio-subthalamic and strio-entopeduncular-habenular system. The onset of changes in glucose utilization in the entopeduncular-habenular system was later than in the strio-subthalamic and strionigral systems and correlated with the onset of rotation. However, data from 4 animals which did not rotate suggest that each of these systems is necessary but not sufficient for rotation. It is concluded that DA receptors in the striatum play a significant role in the effects of peripherally administered DA agonists on other nuclei, even though most of these other nuclei also have their own DA receptors.

Neuronal responses to iontophoretically applied dopamine, glutamate, and GABA of identified dopaminergic cells in the rat substantia nigra after kainic acid-induced destruction of the striatum

Kainic acid (KA 1.2-1.5 micrograms) was injected unilaterally into the rat striatum (ST). Fifteen to 30 days later neurons of the substantia nigra (SN) were identified by antidromic stimulation from the ST or medial forebrain bundle (MFB). The projecting axons had conduction velocity similar to that recorded in unlesioned animals. REsponses to iontophoretically applied dopamine (DA), glutamate (GLU), and GABA (5-100 nA) were recorded from neurons of the dopaminergic pars compacta-striatal projection. Control experiments were performed in intact rats. GABA and DA inhibited neurons tested in controls while GLU had an excitatory effect. Changes in firing rate induced by GABA and GLU developed 1-5 s after the beginning of their ejection while the action of DA appeared after a delay of 20-40 s. Neurons in lesioned animals showed a net decrease in sensitivity to all three neurotransmitters. The highest current tested gave responses 50-70% lower than in controls. The data suggest that destruction of striatal efferents with KA does not induce hypersensitivity in the pars compacta of the SN.