Drug-induced rotation intensity in unilateral dopamine-depleted rats is not correlated with end point or qualitative measures of forelimb or hindlimb motor performance

The Effects of the Combination of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells and Nanofiber-Hydrogel Composite on Repair of the Contused Spinal Cord

A bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) transplant and a bioengineered nanofiber-hydrogel composite (NHC) have been shown to stimulate nervous tissue repair in the contused spinal cord in rodent models. Here, these two modalities were combined to assess their repair effects in the contused spinal cord in adult rats. Cohorts of contused rats were treated with MSC in NHC (MSC-NHC), MSC in phosphate-buffered saline (MSC-PBS), NHC, or PBS injected into the contusion site at 3 days post-injury. One week after injury, there were significantly fewer CD68+ cells in the contusion with MSC-NHC and NHC, but not MSC-PBS. The reduction in CD86+ cells in the injury site with MSC-NHC was mainly attributed to NHC. One and eight weeks after injury, we found a greater CD206+/CD86+ cell ratio with MSC-NHC or NHC, but not MSC-PBS, indicating a shift from a pro-inflammatory towards an anti-inflammatory milieu in the injury site. Eight weeks after injury, the injury size was significantly reduced with MSC-NHC, NHC, and MSC-PBS. At this time, astrocyte, and axon presence in the injury site was greater with MSC-NHC compared with MSC-PBS. We did not find a significant effect of NHC on MSC transplant survival, and hind limb function was similar across all groups. However, we did find fewer macrophages at 1 week post-injury, more macrophages polarized towards a pro-regenerative phenotype at 1 and 8 weeks after injury, and reduced injury volume, more astrocytes, and more axons at 8 weeks after injury in rats with MSC-NHC and NHC alone compared with MSC-PBS; these findings were especially significant between rats with MSC-NHC and MSC-PBS. The data support further study in the use of an NHC-MSC combination transplant in the contused spinal cord.

Animal models for preclinical Parkinson's research: An update and critical appraisal

Animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD) are essential to investigate pathogenic pathways at the whole-organism level. Moreover, they are necessary for a preclinical investigation of potential new therapies. Different pathological features of PD can be induced in a variety of invertebrate and vertebrate species using toxins, drugs, or genetic perturbations. Each model has a particular utility and range of applicability. Invertebrate PD models are particularly useful for high throughput-screening applications, whereas mammalian models are needed to explore complex motor and non-motor features of the human disease. Here, we provide a comprehensive review and critical appraisal of the most commonly used mammalian models of PD, which are produced in rats and mice. A substantial loss of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons is necessary for the animal to exhibit a hypokinetic motor phenotype responsive to dopaminergic agents, thus resembling clinical PD. This level of dopaminergic neurodegeneration can be induced using specific neurotoxins, environmental toxicants, or proteasome inhibitors. Alternatively, nigrostriatal dopamine degeneration can be induced via overexpression of α-synuclein using viral vectors or transgenic techniques. In addition, protein aggregation pathology can be triggered by inoculating preformed fibrils of α-synuclein in the substantia nigra or the striatum. Thanks to the conceptual and technical progress made in the past few years a vast repertoire of well-characterized animal models are currently available to address different aspects of PD in the laboratory.

The Rodent Models of Dyskinesia and Their Behavioral Assessment

Dyskinesia, a major motor complication resulting from dopamine replacement treatment, manifests as involuntary hyperkinetic or dystonic movements. This condition poses a challenge to the treatment of Parkinson's disease. So far, several behavioral models based on rodent with dyskinesia have been established. These models have provided an important platform for evaluating the curative effect of drugs at the preclinical research level over the past two decades. However, there are differences in the modeling and behavioral testing procedures among various laboratories that adversely affect the rat and mouse models as credible experimental tools in this field. This article systematically reviews the history, the pros and cons, and the controversies surrounding rodent models of dyskinesia as well as their behavioral assessment protocols. A summary of factors that influence the behavioral assessment in the rodent dyskinesia models is also presented, including the degree of dopamine denervation, stereotaxic lesion sites, drug regimen, monitoring styles, priming effect, and individual and strain differences. Besides, recent breakthroughs like the genetic mouse models and the bilateral intoxication models for dyskinesia are also discussed.

Botulinum Neurotoxin-A Injected Intrastriatally into Hemiparkinsonian Rats Improves the Initiation Time for Left and Right Forelimbs in Both Forehand and Backhand Directions

Forelimb stepping is a widely used test for the assessment of forelimb akinesia in hemiparkinsonian (hemi-PD) rats. The initiation time (IT) is considered the most sensitive parameter in the stepping test procedure. Here we propose a novel, reliable, and simple method for the measurement of IT of both forelimbs in both forehand and backhand directions in rats. Evaluating the same videos taken for quantifying adjusting steps, IT measurements were done without additional experiments. This is in contrast to the classical approach introduced by Olsson et al. (1995), in which separate experiments are necessary. We successfully applied our approach to hemi-PD rats intrastriatally treated with botulinum neurotoxin-A (BoNT-A). In naïve rats, an IT of about 0.62 s was found, and in right-sided hemi-PD rats the IT of the left forepaw increased to about 3.62 s. These hemi-PD rats showed, however, reduced ITs of the impaired left forepaws 1 month and the second time 7 months after induction of hemi-PD via the injection of 1 ng BoNT-A into the ipsilateral striatum, depending on post BoNT-A survival time. The method described offers the possibility of a precise and animal-friendly evaluation of IT in rats, including the beneficial effect of BoNT-A treatment in hemi-PD rats.

Chemogenetic Targeting of Dorsomedial Direct-pathway Striatal Projection Neurons Selectively Elicits Rotational Behavior in Mice

The striatum of the basal ganglia is pivotal for voluntary movements and is implicated in debilitating movement disorders such as Parkinsonism and dystonia. Striatum projects to downstream nuclei through direct (dSPN) and indirect (iSPN) pathway projection neurons thought to exert opposite effects on movement. In rodent models of striatal function, unilateral dopamine deprivation induces ipsiversive rotational behavior. The dSPNs of the dorsal striatum are believed to engage distinct motor programs but underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show by employing chemogenetics [Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs)] that unilateral inhibition of dorsomedial dSPNs is sufficient to selectively impair contraversive movement and elicit ipsiversive rotational behavior in mice. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) encoding Cre-dependent G_i-coupled DREADD was injected unilaterally into the dorsomedial striatum of Drd1-Cre mice, resulting in expression of the modified human M4 muscarinic receptor (hM4Di) in ∼20% of dorsostriatal dSPNs. Upon hM4Di activation, a striking positive linear correlation was found between turn ratio and viral expression, which corroborates a relationship between unilateral inhibition of dorsomedial dSPNs and rotational behavior. Bursts of ipsiversive rotations were interspersed with normal ambulation. However, partial unilateral inhibition of ∼20% of dorsostriatal dSPNs did not affect horizontal and vertical locomotion or forelimb use preference. Overall, our results substantiate a unique role of dSPNs in promoting response bias in rotational behavior and show this to be a highly sensitive measure of dSPN performance.

Discovery of Novel Cell Surface Markers for Purification of Embryonic Dopamine Progenitors for Transplantation in Parkinson's Disease Animal Models

Despite the progress in safety and efficacy of cell replacement therapy with pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), the presence of residual undifferentiated stem cells or proliferating neural progenitor cells with rostral identity remains a major challenge. Here we report the generation of a LIM homeobox transcription factor 1 alpha (LMX1A) knock-in GFP reporter human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line that marks the early dopaminergic progenitors during neural differentiation to find reliable membrane protein markers for isolation of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Purified GFP positive cells in vitro exhibited expression of mRNA and proteins that characterized and matched the midbrain dopaminergic identity. Further quantitative proteomics analysis of enriched LMX1A⁺ cells identified several membrane-associated proteins including a polysialylated embryonic form of neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) and contactin 2 (CNTN2), enabling prospective isolation of LMX1A⁺ progenitor cells. Transplantation of human-PSC-derived purified CNTN2⁺ progenitors enhanced dopamine release from transplanted cells in the host brain and alleviated Parkinson's disease-related phenotypes in animal models. This study establishes an efficient approach for purification of large numbers of human-PSC-derived dopaminergic progenitors for therapeutic applications.

Ultrasound-Triggered Effects of the Microbubbles Coupled to GDNF Plasmid-Loaded PEGylated Liposomes in a Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate ultrasound-triggered effects of PEGylated liposomes-coupled microbubbles mediated gene transfer of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) plasmid (PLs-GDNF-MBs) on behavioral deficits and neuron loss in a rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: The unloaded PLs-MBs were characterized for particle size, concentration and zeta potential. PD rat model was established by a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion. Rotational, climbing pole, and suspension tests were used to evaluate behavioral deficits. The immunohistochemical staining of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine transporter (DAT) was used to assess the neuron loss. The expression levels of GDNF and nuclear receptor-related factor 1 (Nurr1) were determined by western blot and qRT-PCR analysis.

Results: The particle size of PLs-MBs was gradually increased, while the concentration and absolute zeta potential were gradually decreased in a time-dependent manner after injection. 6-OHDA elevated amphetamine-induced rotations and decreased the TH and DAT immunoreactivity compared to sham group. However, these effects were blocked by the PLs-GDNF-MBs. In addition, the mRNA and protein expression levels of GDNF and Nurr1 were increased after PLs-GDNF-MBs treatment.

Conclusions: The delivery of PLs-GDNF-MBs into the brains using MRI-guided focused ultrasound alleviates the behavioral deficits and neuron loss in the rat model of PD.

Evaluating rodent motor functions: Which tests to choose?

Damage to the motor cortex induced by stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in chronic motor deficits. For the development and improvement of therapies, animal models which possess symptoms comparable to the clinical population are used. However, the use of experimental animals raises valid ethical and methodological concerns. To decrease discomfort by experimental procedures and to increase the quality of results, non-invasive and sensitive rodent motor tests are needed. A broad variety of rodent motor tests are available to determine deficits after stroke or TBI. The current review describes and evaluates motor tests that fall into three categories: Tests to evaluate fine motor skills and grip strength, tests for gait and inter-limb coordination and neurological deficit scores. In this review, we share our thoughts on standardized data presentation to increase data comparability between studies. We also critically evaluate current methods and provide recommendations for choosing the best behavioral test for a new research line.

Neuroprotective Activities of Spirulina platensis in the 6-OHDA Model of Parkinson's Disease Are Related to Its Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Spirulina platensis (SPI) is a cyanobacterium, presenting anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions. Considering the importance of inflammation and oxidative stress in Parkinson's disease (PD), SPI neuroprotective effects were evaluated in a model of PD. Male Wistar rats were divided into: sham-operated (SO), untreated 6-OHDA and 6-OHDA treated with SPI (25 and 50 mg/kg, p.o.). The 6-OHDA was injected into the right striata and SPI treatments started 24 h later for 2 weeks. The SO and untreated 6-OHDA-lesioned groups were administered with distilled water, for the same period. Afterwards, the animals were subjected to the apomorphine-induced rotational test and euthanized for striatal measurements of DA and DOPAC, nitrite and TBARS and immunohistochemistry assays for TH, DAT, iNOS and COX-2. SPI reduced the apomorphine-induced rotational behavior, DA and DOPAC depletions and nitrite and TBARS increases, at its high dose. Furthermore, TH and DAT immunoreactivities in the lesioned striatum of the untreated 6-OHDA-lesioned group were attenuated by SPI. Similarly, immunoreactivities for iNOS and COX-2 were also decreased after SPI treatments. In conclusion, we showed that behavioral and neurochemical alterations in hemiparkinsonian rats were partly reversed by SPI, characterizing the neuroprotective potential of Spirulina and stimulating translational studies focusing on its use as an alternative treatment for PD.

Deep Brain Stimulation of Hemiparkinsonian Rats with Unipolar and Bipolar Electrodes for up to 6 Weeks: Behavioral Testing of Freely Moving Animals

Although the clinical use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) is increasing, its basic mechanisms of action are still poorly understood. Platinum/iridium electrodes were inserted into the subthalamic nucleus of rats with unilateral 6-OHDA-induced lesions of the medial forebrain bundle. Six behavioral parameters were compared with respect to their potential to detect DBS effects. Locomotor function was quantified by (i) apomorphine-induced rotation, (ii) initiation time, (iii) the number of adjusting steps in the stepping test, and (iv) the total migration distance in the open field test. Sensorimotor neglect and anxiety were quantified by (v) the retrieval bias in the corridor test and (vi) the ratio of migration distance in the center versus in the periphery in the open field test, respectively. In our setup, unipolar stimulation was found to be more efficient than bipolar stimulation for achieving beneficial long-term DBS effects. Performance in the apomorphine-induced rotation test showed no improvement after 6 weeks. DBS reduced the initiation time of the contralateral paw in the stepping test after 3 weeks of DBS followed by 3 weeks without DBS. Similarly, sensorimotor neglect was improved. The latter two parameters were found to be most appropriate for judging therapeutic DBS effects.

The Treadmill Exercise Protects against Dopaminergic Neuron Loss and Brain Oxidative Stress in Parkinsonian Rats

Parkinson's disease (PD), a progressive neurological pathology, presents motor and nonmotor impairments. The objectives were to support data on exercise benefits to PD. Male Wistar rats were distributed into sham-operated (SO) and 6-OHDA-lesioned, both groups without and with exercise. The animals were subjected to treadmill exercises (14 days), 24 h after the stereotaxic surgery and striatal 6-OHDA injection. Those from no-exercise groups stayed on the treadmill for the same period and, afterwards, were subjected to behavioral tests and euthanized for neurochemical and immunohistochemical assays. The data, analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test, were considered significant for p < 0.05. The results showed behavioral change improvements in the 6-OHDA group, after the treadmill exercise, evaluated by apomorphine rotational behavior, open field, and rota rod tests. The exercise reduced striatal dopaminergic neuronal loss and decreased the oxidative stress. In addition, significant increases in BDNF contents and in immunoreactive cells to TH and DAT were also observed, in striata of the 6-OHDA group with exercise, relatively to those with no exercise. We conclude that exercise improves behavior and dopaminergic neurotransmission in 6-OHDA-lesioned animals. The increased oxidative stress and decreased BDNF contents were also reversed, emphasizing the importance of exercise for the PD management.

Regenerative medicine in Huntington's disease: Strengths and weaknesses of preclinical studies

Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by impairment in motor, cognitive and psychiatric domains. Currently, there is no specific therapy to act on the onset or progression of HD. The marked neuronal death observed in HD is a main argument in favour of stem cells (SCs) transplantation as a promising therapeutic perspective to replace the population of lost neurons and restore the functionality of the damaged circuitry. The availability of rodent models of HD encourages the investigation of the restorative potential of SCs transplantation longitudinally. However, the results of preclinical studies on SCs therapy in HD are so far largely inconsistent; this hampers the individuation of the more appropriate model and precludes the comparative analysis of transplant efficacy on behavioural end points. Thus, this review will describe the state of the art of in vivo research on SCs therapy in HD, analysing in a translational perspective the strengths and weaknesses of animal studies investigating the therapeutic potential of cell transplantation on HD progression.

Neuromyelitis optica study model based on chronic infusion of autoantibodies in rat cerebrospinal fluid

Background

Devic’s neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune astrocytopathy, associated with central nervous system inflammation, demyelination, and neuronal injury. Several studies confirmed that autoantibodies directed against aquaporin-4 (AQP4-IgG) are relevant in the pathogenesis of NMO, mainly through complement-dependent toxicity leading to astrocyte death. However, the effect of the autoantibody per se and the exact role of intrathecal AQP4-IgG are still controversial.

Methods

To explore the intrinsic effect of intrathecal AQP4-IgG, independent from additional inflammatory effector mechanisms, and to evaluate its clinical impact, we developed a new animal model, based on a prolonged infusion of purified immunoglobulins from NMO patient (IgG^AQP4+, NMO-rat) and healthy individual as control (Control-rat) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of live rats.

Results

We showed that CSF infusion of purified immunoglobulins led to diffusion in the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves, the targeted structures in NMO. This was associated with astrocyte alteration in NMO-rats characterized by loss of aquaporin-4 expression in the spinal cord and the optic nerves compared to the Control-rats (p = 0.001 and p = 0.02, respectively).

In addition, glutamate uptake tested on vigil rats was dramatically reduced in NMO-rats (p = 0.001) suggesting that astrocytopathy occurred in response to AQP4-IgG diffusion. In parallel, myelin was altered, as shown by the decrease of myelin basic protein staining by up to 46 and 22 % in the gray and white matter of the NMO-rats spinal cord, respectively (p = 0.03). Loss of neurofilament positive axons in NMO-rats (p = 0.003) revealed alteration of axonal integrity. Then, we investigated the clinical consequences of such alterations on the motor behavior of the NMO-rats. In a rotarod test, NMO-rats performance was lower compared to the controls (p = 0.0182). AQP4 expression, and myelin and axonal integrity were preserved in AQP4-IgG-depleted condition. We did not find a major immune cell infiltration and microglial activation nor complement deposition in the central nervous system, in our model.

Conclusions

We establish a link between motor-deficit, NMO-like lesions and astrocytopathy mediated by intrathecal AQP4-IgG. Our study validates the concept of the intrinsic effect of autoantibody against surface antigens and offers a model for testing antibody and astrocyte-targeted therapies in NMO.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12974-016-0577-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Role of Vitamin D₃ in the Development and Neuroprotection of Midbrain Dopamine Neurons

Vitamin D has long been synonymous with bone health. More recently, new health benefits are continually being associated with vitamin D, including a burgeoning field on neuroprotective properties. This has generated a huge explosion of interest in recent years in the potential for vitamin D to be used not only as a therapeutic in neurodegenerative disease, including Parkinson's disease, but also as biomarkers and for risk association. With an emphasis on Parkinson's disease, this chapter will discuss recent evidence supporting the assertion that vitamin D can be a useful therapeutic agent used as an intervention therapy to be combined with existing treatments; and the case for further development of novel treatments utilizing the potential of vitamin D. In addition, we present novel, previously unpublished evidence showing that in a unilateral model of Parkinson's disease, vitamin D can not only reduce the extent of denervation, but that this is also reflected in functional benefit to the animals. The potential of vitamin D is slowly being realized; in the future, it will be widely associated with far more than just bone health and may even contribute to an elusive treatment of neurodegenerative illness.

Relationships among rat ultrasonic vocalizations, behavioral measures of striatal dopamine loss, and striatal tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity at acute and chronic time points following unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine-induced dopamine depletion

Voice deficits in Parkinson disease (PD) emerge early in the disease process, but do not improve with standard treatments targeting dopamine. Experimental work in the rat shows that severe and chronic unilateral nigrostriatal dopamine depletion with 6-OHDA results in decreased intensity, bandwidth, and complexity of ultrasonic vocalizations. However, it is unclear if mild/acute dopamine depletion, paralleling earlier stages of PD, results in vocalization deficits, or to what degree vocalization parameters are correlated with other dopamine-dependent indicators of lesion severity or percent of tyrosine hydroxylase (%TH) loss. Here, we assayed ultrasonic vocalizations, forelimb asymmetry, and apomorphine rotations in rats with a range of unilateral dopamine loss resulting from 6-OHDA or vehicle control infusions to the medial forebrain bundle at acute (72 h) and chronic (4 weeks) time points post-infusion. The %TH loss was evaluated at 4 weeks. At 72 h, forelimb asymmetry and %TH loss were significantly correlated, while at 4 weeks, all measures of lesion severity were significantly correlated with each other. Call complexity was significantly correlated with all measures of lesion severity at 72 h but only with %TH loss at 4 weeks. Bandwidth was correlated with forelimb asymmetry at both time points. Duration was significantly correlated with all dopamine depletion measures at 4 weeks. Notably, not all parameters were affected universally or equally across time. These results suggest that vocalization deficits may be a sensitive index of acute and mild catecholamine loss and further underscores the need to characterize the neural mechanisms underlying vocal deficits in PD.

Intracarotid Infusion of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in an Animal Model of Parkinson's Disease, Focusing on Cell Distribution and Neuroprotective and Behavioral Effects

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been proposed as a potential therapeutic tool for Parkinson's disease (PD) and systemic administration of these cells has been tested in preclinical and clinical studies. However, no information on survival and actual capacity of MSCs to reach the brain has been provided. In this study, we evaluated homing of intraarterially infused rat MSCs (rMSCs) in the brain of rats bearing a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced lesion of the nigrostriatal tract, to establish whether the toxin-induced damage is sufficient to grant MSC passage across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) or if a transient BBB disruption is necessary. The rMSC distribution in peripheral organs and the effects of cell infusion on neurodegenerative process and motor deficits were also investigated. rMSCs were infused 14 days after 6-OHDA injection. A hyperosmolar solution of mannitol was used to transiently permeabilize the BBB. Behavioral impairment was assessed by adjusting step test and response to apomorphine. Animals were sacrificed 7 and 28 days after cell infusion. Our work shows that appreciable delivery of rMSCs to the brain of 6-OHDA-lesioned animals can be obtained only after mannitol pretreatment. A notable percentage of infused cells accumulated in peripheral organs. Infusion of rMSCs did not modify the progression of 6-OHDA-induced damage or the motor impairment at the stepping test, but induced progressive normalization of the pathological response (contralateral turning) to apomorphine administration. These findings suggest that many aspects should be further investigated before considering any translation of MSC systemic administration into the clinical setting for PD treatment.

SIGNIFICANCE

This study demonstrates that mesenchymal stem cells infused through the carotid artery do not efficiently cross the blood-brain barrier in rats with a Parkinson's disease-like degeneration of nigrostriatal neurons, unless a permeabilizing agent (e.g., mannitol) is used. The infusion did not reduce the neuronal damage and associated motor impairment, but abolished the motor abnormalities these animals typically show when challenged with a dopaminergic agonist. Therefore, although arterially infused mesenchymal stem cells did not show neurorestorative effects in this study's Parkinson's disease model, they appeared to normalize the pathological responsiveness of striatal neurons to dopaminergic stimulation. This capability should be further explored in future studies.

LPA signaling is required for dopaminergic neuron development and is reduced through low expression of the LPA1 receptor in a 6-OHDA lesion model of Parkinson's disease

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive phospholipid that activates at least five known G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs): LPA1-LPA5. The nervous system is a major locus for LPA1 expression. LPA has been shown to regulate neuronal proliferation, migration, and differentiation during central nervous system development as well as neuronal survival. Furthermore, deficient LPA signaling has been implicated in several neurological disorders including neuropathic pain and schizophrenia. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative movement disorder that results from the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). The specific molecular pathways that lead to DA neuron degeneration, however, are poorly understood. The influence of LPA in the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into DA neurons in vitro and LPA1 expression in a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion model of PD in vivo were examined in the present study. LPA induced neuronal differentiation in 80.2 % of the MSC population. These MSCs developed characteristic neuronal morphology and expressed the neuronal marker, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), while expression of the glial marker, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), was absent. Moreover, 27.6 % of differentiated MSCs were positive for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), a marker for DA neurons. In the 6-OHDA PD rat model, LPA1 expression in the substantia nigra was significantly reduced compared to control. These results suggest LPA signaling via activation of LPA1 may be necessary for DA neuron development and survival. Furthermore, reduced LPA/LPA1 signaling may be involved in DA neuron degeneration thus contributing to the pathogenesis of PD.

Infralimbic cortex Rho-kinase inhibition causes antidepressant-like activity in rats

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in the world; however, its mechanisms remain unclear. Recently, a new signal-transduction pathway, namely Rho/Rho-kinase signalling, has been suggested to be involved in diverse cellular events in the central nervous system; such as epilepsy, anxiety-related behaviors, regulation of dendritic and axonal morphology, antinociception, subarachnoid haemorrhage, spinal cord injury and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. However there is no evidence showing the involvement of Rho-kinase pathway in depression. In addition, the infralimbic cortex, rodent equivalent to subgenual cingulate cortex has been shown to be responsible for emotional responses. Thus, in the present study, intracranial guide cannulae were stereotaxically implanted bilaterally into the infralimbic cortex, and the effects of repeated microinjections of a Rho-kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y-27632 (10 nmol) were investigated in rats. Y-27632 significantly decreased immobility time and increased swimming and climbing behaviors when compared to fluoxetine (10 μg) and saline groups in the forced swim test. In addition, Y-27632 treatment did not affect spontaneous locomotor activity and forelimb use in the open-field and cylinder tests respectively; but it enhanced limb placing accuracy in the ladder rung walking test. Our results suggest that Y-27632 could be a potentially active antidepressant agent.

Spontaneous locomotor activity and L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia are not linked in 6-OHDA parkinsonian rats

Bradykinesia (slowness of movement) and other characteristic motor manifestations of Parkinson's disease (PD) are alleviated by treatment with L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA). Long-term L-DOPA treatment, however, is associated with complications such as motor fluctuations and dyskinesia that severely impair the quality of life. It is unclear whether the effect of L-DOPA on spontaneous motor activity and its dyskinesia-inducing effect share a common mechanism. To investigate the possible connection between these two effects, we analyzed the spontaneous locomotor activity of parkinsonian rats before surgery (unilateral injection of 6-OHDA in the right medial forebrain bundle), before treatment with L-DOPA, during L-DOPA treatment (the "ON" phase), and after the end of L-DOPA treatment (the "OFF" phase). We correlated the severity of dyskinesia (AIM scores) with locomotor responses in the ON/OFF phases of chronic L-DOPA treatment at two different doses. We treated three groups of parkinsonian animals with chronic injections of 8 mg/kg L-DOPA, 6 mg/kg L-DOPA, and saline solution and one group of non-lesioned animals with 8 mg/kg L-DOPA. At the end of the experiment, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity was analyzed in the striatum of all parkinsonian rats. We found no correlation between the severity of dyskinesia and spontaneous locomotor activity in the ON or OFF phase of L-DOPA treatment. The only observed correlation was between the pathological rotation induced by L-DOPA at the highest dose and locomotor activity in the ON phase of L-DOPA treatment. In addition, a L-DOPA withdrawal effect was observed, with worse motor performance in the OFF phase than before the start of L-DOPA treatment. These findings suggest that different neural mechanisms underlie the effect of L-DOPA on spontaneous motor activity and its dyskinesia-inducing effect, with a different dose-response relationship for each of these two effects.

Early decrease of type 1 cannabinoid receptor binding and phosphodiesterase 10A activity in vivo in R6/2 Huntington mice

Several lines of evidence imply early alterations in endocannabinoid and phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) signaling in Huntington disease (HD). Using [(18)F]MK-9470 and [(18)F]JNJ42259152 small-animal positron emission tomography (PET), we investigated for the first time cerebral changes in type 1 cannabinoid (CB1) receptor binding and PDE10A levels in vivo in presymptomatic, early symptomatic, and late symptomatic HD (R6/2) mice, in relation to glucose metabolism ([(18)F]FDG PET), brain morphology (magnetic resonance imaging) and motor function. Ten R6/2 and 16 wild-type (WT) mice were investigated at 3 different time points between the age of 4 and 13 weeks. Parametric CB1 receptor and PDE10A images were anatomically standardized to Paxinos space and analyzed voxelwise. Volumetric microMRI imaging was performed to assess HD pathology. In R6/2 mice, CB1 receptor binding was decreased in comparison with WT in a cluster comprising the bilateral caudate-putamen, globus pallidus, and thalamic nucleus at week 5 (-8.1% ± 2.6%, p = 1.7 × 10(-5)). Longitudinal follow-up showed further progressive decline compared with controls in a cluster comprising the bilateral hippocampus, caudate-putamen, globus pallidus, superior colliculus, thalamic nucleus, and cerebellum (late vs. presymptomatic age: -13.7% ± 3.1% for R6/2 and +1.5% ± 4.0% for WT, p = 1.9 × 10(-5)). In R6/2 mice, PDE10A binding potential also decreased over time to reach significance at early and late symptomatic HD (late vs. presymptomatic age: -79.1% ± 1.9% for R6/2 and +2.1% ± 2.7% for WT, p = 1.5 × 10(-4)). The observed changes in CB1 receptor and PDE10A binding were correlated to anomalies exhibited by R6/2 animals in motor function, whereas no correlation was found with magnetic resonance imaging-based striatal volume. Our findings point to early regional dysfunctions in endocannabinoid and PDE10A signaling, involving the caudate-putamen and lateral globus pallidus, which may play a role in the progression of the disease in R6/2 animals. PET quantification of in vivo CB1 and/or PDE10A binding may thus be useful early biomarkers for HD. Our results also provide evidence of subtle motor deficits at earlier stages than previously described.

Chronic L-DOPA treatment attenuates behavioral and biochemical deficits induced by unilateral lactacystin administration into the rat substantia nigra

The aim of the study was to determine whether the dopamine (DA) precursor l-DOPA attenuates parkinsonian-like symptoms produced by the ubiquitin-proteasome system inhibitor lactacystin. Wistar rats were injected unilaterally with lactacystin (2.5 μg/2 μl) or 6-OHDA (8 μg/2 μl) into the substantia nigra (SN) pars compacta. Four weeks after the lesion, the animals were treated chronically with l-DOPA (25 or 50 mg/kg) for two weeks. During l-DOPA treatment, the lactacystin-treated rats were tested for catalepsy and forelimb asymmetry. Rotational behavior was evaluated after apomorphine (0.25 mg/kg) and l-DOPA in both PD models. After completion of experiments, the animals were killed and the levels of DA and its metabolites in the striatum and SN were assayed. We found that acute l-DOPA administration effectively decreased catalepsy and increased the use of the compromised forelimb in the cylinder test. However, the lactacystin group did not respond to apomorphine or acute l-DOPA administration in the rotational test. Repeated l-DOPA treatment produced contralateral rotations in both PD models, but the number of rotations was much greater in the 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. Both toxins markedly (>90%) reduced the levels of DA and its metabolites in the striatum and SN, while l-DOPA diminished these decreases, especially in the SN. By demonstrating the efficacy of l-DOPA in several behavioral tests, our study confirms the usefulness of the lactacystin lesion as a model of PD. However, marked differences in the rotational response to apomorphine and l-DOPA suggest different mechanisms of neurodegeneration evoked by lactacystin and 6-OHDA.

Forced exercise before or after induction of 6-OHDA-mediated nigrostriatal insult does not mitigate behavioral asymmetry in a hemiparkinsonian rat model

Studies on exercise before and after toxin-induced hemiparkinsonism have reported promising findings in terms of amelioration of motor asymmetry in adult, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rats. However, recent studies have had more mixed results. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to further explore the notion of exercise, in particular forced exercise, as a potential neuroprotective therapy when implemented before and after 6-OHDA hemiparkinsonism. To explore this, two experiments were conducted: Experiment 1 - exercise before a 6-OHDA lesion; and, Experiment 2 - exercise after a 6-OHDA lesion. In Experiment 1, rats were randomly assigned into one of the two 4-week experimental conditions, a forced exercise condition and a non-exercise control condition. Then, after the experimental conditions rats were injected with 6-OHDA into the right medial forebrain bundle. In Experiment 2, rats were first injected with 6-OHDA and were then randomly assigned into one of the two 4-week experimental groups, a forced exercise group and a non-exercise control group. Outcomes in both experiments did not show any differences in terms of motor behavioral tests (i.e., apomorphine rotations, forelimb placement asymmetry, exploratory rearing) between the forced exercise and sedentary control groups. Based on our results and in light of the body of literature, it is possible that the stress of shock-motivated forced running utilized in this study may have canceled beneficial behavioral effects. Additionally, it is possible that the one-week delay in the forced exercise protocol implementation in Experiment 2 may have prevented behavioral rescue.

Further characterisation of the LPS model of Parkinson's disease: a comparison of intra-nigral and intra-striatal lipopolysaccharide administration on motor function, microgliosis and nigrostriatal neurodegeneration in the rat

Chronic neuroinflammation has been established as one of the many processes involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Because of this, researchers have attempted to replicate this pathogenic feature in animal models using the potent inflammagen, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), in order to gain better understanding of immune-mediated events in PD. However, although the effect of intra-cerebral LPS on neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration has been relatively well characterised, its impact on motor function has been less well studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to further characterise the neuropathological and behavioural impact of intra-nigral and intra-striatal administration of LPS. To do, LPS (10 μg) or vehicle (sterile saline) were stereotaxically injected into the adult rat substantia nigra or striatum on one side only. The effect of LPS administration on lateralised motor function was assessed using the Corridor, Stepping and Whisker tests for two weeks post-injection, after which, amphetamine-induced rotational asymmetry was completed. Post-mortem, the impact of LPS on nigrostriatal degeneration and microgliosis was assessed using quantitative tyrosine hydroxylase and OX-42 immunohistochemistry respectively. We found that intra-nigral administration of LPS led to localised microgliosis in the substantia nigra and this was accompanied by nigrostriatal neurodegeneration and stable spontaneous motor deficits. In contrast, intra-striatal administration of LPS led to localised microgliosis in the striatum but this did not lead to any nigrostriatal neurodegeneration and only induced transient motor dysfunction. In conclusion, this study reveals the impact of intra-cerebral LPS administration on PD-related neuropathology and motor function, and it indicates that the intra-nigral model may be a highly relevant model as it is associated with stable motor decline underpinned by nigral microgliosis and nigrostriatal neurodegeneration.

The grid-walking test: assessment of sensorimotor deficits after moderate or severe dopamine depletion by 6-hydroxydopamine lesions in the dorsal striatum and medial forebrain bundle

The present study aims to evaluate the applicability of the grid-walking test in rats with moderate or severe dopamine-depletion incurred by unilateral nigro-striatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions. Striatum samples were analyzed by high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to electrochemical detection (HPLC-EC) after behavioral testing. In Experiment 1, 2 weeks after the injection of 6-OHDA into the medial forebrain bundle, adult Wistar rats were divided into an l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa) and a vehicle treatment group and their behaviors on the grid were compared. The severely lesioned animals (mean dopamine depletion of 92%) did not exhibit behavioral asymmetry in the number of contralateral foot-slips. However, L-dopa administration selectively reduced the number of foot-slips of the contralateral forelimb when compared with the vehicle group. In Experiment 2, 6-OHDA was injected into the dorsal striatum and foot-slips on the grid were analyzed 4, 9 and 13 days following the lesion. The rats with moderate dopamine-depletion (mean depletion of 54%) exhibited more contralateral forelimb-slips on all testing days. Compared with naive rats, hemiparkinsonian rats also showed more forelimb-slips. These results suggest that the grid-walking test should be a powerful and sensitive behavioral assay for sensory-motor deficits in rat models of nigro-striatal dopamine lesions.

Identification of bilateral changes in TID1 expression in the 6-OHDA rat model of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and the aggregation of α-synuclein into Lewy bodies. Existing therapies address motor dysfunction but do not halt progression of the disease. A still unresolved question is the biochemical pathway that modulates the outcome of protein misfolding and aggregation processes in PD. The molecular chaperone network plays an important defensive role against cellular protein misfolding and has been identified as protective in experimental models of protein misfolding diseases like PD. Molecular mechanisms underlying chaperone-neuroprotection are actively under investigation. Current evidence implicates a number of molecular chaperones in PD including Hsp25, Hsp70 and Hsp90, however their precise involvement in the neurodegenerative cascade is unresolved. The J protein family (DnaJ or Hsp40 protein family) has long been known to be important in protein conformational processes.We assessed sensory and motor function of control and PD rats and then evaluated the brain region-specific expression levels of select J proteins by Western analysis. Surprisingly, we observed a widespread 26 kDa breakdown product of the J protein, TID1, (tumorous imaginal discs, mtHsp40 or DnaJ3) in a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of PD in which food handling, gait symmetry and sensory performance were impaired. Greater behavioral deficits were associated with lower TID1 expression. Furthermore, direct application of either 6-OHDA or MPP+ (1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinum) to CAD (CNS-derived catecholinaminergic neuronal cell line) cell cultures, reduced TID1 expression levels.Our results suggest that changes in cellular TID1 are a factor in the pathogenesis of PD by impeding functional and structural compensation and exaggerating neurodegenerative processes. In contrast, no changes were observed in CSPα, Hsp40, Hsp70, Hsc70 and PrP(C) levels and no activation of caspase3 was observed. This study links TID1 to PD and provides a new target for therapeutics that halts the PD progression.

Embryonic stem cell-derived L1 overexpressing neural aggregates enhance recovery in Parkinsonian mice

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, after Alzheimer's disease, and the most common movement disorder. Drug treatment and deep brain stimulation can ameliorate symptoms, but the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra eventually leads to severe motor dysfunction. The transplantation of stem cells has emerged as a promising approach to replace lost neurons in order to restore dopamine levels in the striatum and reactivate functional circuits. We have generated substrate-adherent embryonic stem cell-derived neural aggregates overexpressing the neural cell adhesion molecule L1, because it has shown beneficial functions after central nervous system injury. L1 enhances neurite outgrowth and neuronal migration, differentiation and survival as well as myelination. In a previous study, L1 was shown to enhance functional recovery in a mouse model of Huntington's disease. In another study, a new differentiation protocol for murine embryonic stem cells was established allowing the transplantation of stem cell-derived neural aggregates consisting of differentiated neurons and radial glial cells into the lesioned brain. In the present study, this embryonic stem cell line was engineered to overexpress L1 constitutively at all stages of differentiation and used to generate stem cell-derived neural aggregates. These were monitored in their effects on stem cell survival and differentiation, rescue of endogenous dopaminergic neurons and ability to influence functional recovery after transplantation in an animal model of Parkinson's disease. Female C57BL/6J mice (2 months old) were treated with the mitochondrial toxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine intraperitoneally to deplete dopaminergic neurons selectively, followed by unilateral transplantation of stem cell-derived neural aggregates into the striatum. Mice grafted with L1 overexpressing stem cell-derived neural aggregates showed better functional recovery when compared to mice transplanted with wild-type stem cell-derived neural aggregates and vehicle-injected mice. Morphological analysis revealed increased numbers and migration of surviving transplanted cells, as well as increased numbers of dopaminergic neurons, leading to enhanced levels of dopamine in the striatum ipsilateral to the grafted side in L1 overexpressing stem cell-derived neural aggregates, when compared to wild-type stem cell-derived neural aggregates. The striatal levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid were not affected by L1 overexpressing stem cell-derived neural aggregates. Furthermore, L1 overexpressing, but not wild-type stem cell-derived neural aggregates, enhanced survival of endogenous host dopaminergic neurons after transplantation adjacent to the substantia nigra pars compacta. Thus, L1 overexpressing stem cell-derived neural aggregates enhance survival and migration of transplanted cells, differentiation into dopaminergic neurons, survival of endogenous dopaminergic neurons, and functional recovery after syngeneic transplantation in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

Amphetamine-evoked rotation requires newly synthesized dopamine at 14 days but not 1 day after intranigral 6-OHDA and is consistently dissociated from sensorimotor behavior

Immediately after unilateral, intranigral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), amphetamine (AMPH) evokes "paradoxical" contraversive rotation, whereas 14 days later, AMPH evokes the traditional ipsiversive rotation used to model the chronic Parkinsonian state. In this study, the hypothesis was that accelerated dopamine (DA) synthesis ipsilateral to the lesion augments cytoplasmic DA to produce paradoxical rotation. Therefore, the sensitivity to synthesis inhibition of AMPH-evoked rotation at 1 or 14 days after 6-OHDA was assessed. To determine the functional status that might be reflected by paradoxical rotation, sensorimotor abilities were examined at 1 and 14 days following unilateral 6-OHDA using the elevated swing, paw placement, grip strength, ladder walking, somatosensory neglect, and cylinder tests. At 14 days after 6-OHDA when AMPH-evoked ipsiversive rotation is mediated by the intact hemisphere, rotation was dose-dependently reduced by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) inhibition with alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (alpha-MPT) or dopa decarboxylase (DDC) inhibition with 3-hydroxybenzyl hydrazine (NSD-1015), indicating dependence upon newly synthesized DA. Conversely, at 1 day after 6-OHDA, paradoxical rotation, presumably mediated by the treated hemisphere, was completely resistant to synthesis blockade, indicating an abundant supply of intracellular DA that is independent from synthesis rates. Sensorimotor behaviors were not correlated with AMPH-evoked rotation. The present data do not support the hypothesis that enhanced DA synthesis is required to express paradoxical rotation. Therefore, alternative mechanisms that may enhance cytoplasmic DA to produce paradoxical rotation are discussed.

The ladder rung walking task: a scoring system and its practical application

Progress in the development of animal models for/stroke, spinal cord injury, and other neurodegenerative disease requires tests of high sensitivity to elaborate distinct aspects of motor function and to determine even subtle loss of movement capacity. To enhance efficacy and resolution of testing, tests should permit qualitative and quantitative measures of motor function and be sensitive to changes in performance during recovery periods. The present study describes a new task to assess skilled walking in the rat to measure both forelimb and hindlimb function at the same time. Animals are required to walk along a horizontal ladder on which the spacing of the rungs is variable and is periodically changed. Changes in rung spacing prevent animals from learning the absolute and relative location of the rungs and so minimize the ability of the animals to compensate for impairments through learning. In addition, changing the spacing between the rungs allows the test to be used repeatedly in long-term studies. Methods are described for both quantitative and qualitative description of both fore- and hindlimb performance, including limb placing, stepping, co-ordination. Furthermore, use of compensatory strategies is indicated by missteps or compensatory steps in response to another limb’s misplacement.

Sex differences in skilled movement in response to restraint stress and recovery from stress

Sex differences exist in skilled movement, and skilled motor performance is also influenced by stress. As shown for cognitive function, the effects of stress are usually characterized by considerable sexual dimorphism. The purpose of this study was to investigate sex differences in skilled motor function in response to stress. Male and female Long-Evans rats were trained and tested in skilled reaching and skilled walking tasks. Both groups of animals were then exposed to daily restraint stress for 15 days. Recovery from daily stress was assessed by comparing reaching performance at 10 min versus 60 min after restraint stress, and recovery from chronic stress was tested for 21 days after cessation of stress. Animals were tested daily in skilled reaching for the entire period. Observations showed that females performed significantly better than males during the stress period in terms of reaching success and number of attempts needed to grasp a food pellet. No difference between testing at 10 or 60 min after daily stress was found. Analysis of movement patterns and recovery from stress indicated that males and females use different strategies to overcome stress-induced motor disturbance. While male rats preferred to use original movement patterns, females tended to modify these patterns in order to increase reaching success. Modification of movement patterns in female rats was accompanied by a faster recovery in success rate after the cessation of stress. These results indicate sex differences in skilled reaching in response to stress, and in the recovery period after stress.

Stress accelerates neural degeneration and exaggerates motor symptoms in a rat model of Parkinson's disease

The causes of most cases of Parkinson's disease (PD) are still poorly understood. Here we show that chronic stress and elevated corticosterone levels exaggerate motor deficits and neurodegenerative events in a Parkinson's disease rat model. Animals were tested in skilled and non-skilled movement while being exposed to daily restraint stress or oral corticosterone treatment. Stress and corticosterone compromised normal motor function and exaggerated motor deficits caused by unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesion of the nigrostriatal bundle. Moreover, stress and corticosterone treatments diminished the ability to acquire compensatory strategies in limb use during skilled reaching and skilled walking. In contrast, lesion control animals were able to significantly improve in the ability of skilled limb use during the repeated test sessions. The exaggerated motor impairments in stress-treated animals were related to accelerated loss of midbrain dopamine-producing neurons during the first week postlesion. Correlation analysis revealed a significant connection between loss of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells and increase in Fluoro-Jade-positive cells only in stress- and corticosterone-treated animals. Furthermore, stress and elevated corticosterone levels caused greater permanent loss of midbrain neurons than found in non-treated lesion animals. These findings demonstrate that stress and elevated corticosterone levels can exaggerate nigral neuronal loss and motor symptoms in a rat analogue of PD. It is therefore possible that stress represents a key factor in the pathogenesis of human PD by impeding functional and structural compensation and exaggerating neurodegenerative processes.

Repeated seizures lead to altered skilled behaviour and are associated with more highly efficacious excitatory synapses

People with epilepsy have a high incidence of interictal behavioural problems that appear to be related to the location of their seizure focus. This study investigated a novel test of the hypotheses that repeated seizures result in behavioural deficits and altered performance during the interictal state, and that those behaviours are related to the presence of more highly efficacious excitatory synapses. We tested these hypotheses by first repeatedly eliciting seizures with electric current through indwelling electrodes in the corpus callosum at the level of the caudal forelimb area of sensorimotor neocortex in the rat. We then assessed learned skilled behaviours that primarily utilize the forelimbs on tasks that are sensitive to the functional integrity of that structure. We observed both behavioural deficits and altered kinematic performance in rats that experienced repeated neocortical seizures relative to an electrode-implanted control group. From a separate set of rats, tissue was prepared for quantification of thickness and excitatory synaptic subtypes from neocortical layer V. We observed significantly increased numbers of perforated synapses that make their connections directly onto the dendritic shaft at 3 weeks following the last seizure. Altered reaching behaviours are likely due to neural reorganization in the neocortex including more efficacious synapses.

A 3D analysis of fore- and hindlimb motion during locomotion: Comparison of overground and ladder walking in rats

The locomotor pattern, generated by the central pattern generator, is under the dependence of descending and peripheral pathways. The afferent feedback from peripheral receptors allows the animal to correct for disturbances that occur during walking, while supraspinal structures are important for locomotion in demanding situations such as ladder walking. Such walking, by regards to the control needed for accuracy of movements, is now widely used for description of consequences of nervous system dysfunction on motor performance. It is important to have a good knowledge of the changes in kinematic parameters according to walking conditions, since it might reflect different neural mechanisms. The aim of this work was to perform a 3D kinematic analysis of both hind- and forelimb during overground and ladder walking, to study qualitative and quantitative locomotor characteristics in different modes of locomotion. The analysis was performed on 5 rats. Movements of the right hind- and forelimb were evaluated using a 3D optical analyser, and EMG of the soleus and tibialis anterior muscles was synchronously recorded. Results indicate that kinematic and electromyographic characteristics of locomotion are dependent on the type of support. Changes were more obvious for hindlimb than for forelimb. Velocity, stride length and tibialis anterior burst duration were lower on ladder than on runway. In addition, during ladder walking, a protraction was noticed, rats bring their feet more rostral at the end of the swing phase. All these changes constitute an adaptive strategy to allow a better tactile activity with forelimbs and to avoid foot misplacement.

Mapping the effects of three dopamine agonists with different dyskinetogenic potential and receptor selectivity using pharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging

The mechanisms underlying dopamine agonist-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease remain poorly understood. Similar to patients, rats with severe nigrostriatal degeneration induced by 6-hydroxydopamine are more likely to show dyskinesia during chronic treatment with unselective dopamine receptor agonists than with D2 agonists, suggesting that D1 receptor stimulation alone or in conjunction with D2 receptor stimulation increases the chances of experiencing dyskinesia. As a first step towards disclosing drug-induced brain activation in dyskinesia, we examined the effects of dopamine agonists on behavior and blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal in the striatum and motor cortex of rats with unilateral nigrostriatal lesions. Rats were rendered dyskinetic before pharmacologic functional magnetic resonance imaging by means of a repeated treatment regime with dopamine agonists. The unselective agonist apomorphine and the selective D1/D5 agonist SKF-81297 induced strong forelimb dyskinesia (FD) and axial dystonia and increased BOLD signal in the denervated striatum. Besides, SKF-81297 produced a significant but smaller BOLD increase in the intact striatum and a symmetric bilateral increase in the motor cortex. The D2 family agonist quinpirole, which induced mild dyskinesia on chronic treatment, did not produce BOLD changes in the striatum or motor cortex. Further evidence to support an association between BOLD changes and dyskinesia comes from a direct correlation between scores of FD and magnitude of drug-induced BOLD increases in the denervated striatum and motor cortex. Our results suggest that striatal and cortical activation induced by stimulation of D1/D5 receptors has a primary role in the induction of peak dose dyskinesia in parkinsonism.

Behavioral models of Parkinson's disease in rodents: a new look at an old problem

The circuitry important for voluntary movement is influenced by dopamine from the substantia nigra and regulated by the nigrostriatal system. The basal ganglia influence the pyramidal tract and other motor systems, such as the mesopontine nuclei and the rubrospinal tract. Although the neuroanatomical substrates underlying motor control are similar for humans and rodents, the behavioral repertoire mediated by those circuits is not. The principal aim of this review is to evaluate how injury to dopamine-mediated pathways in rodents gives rise to motor dysfunction that mimics human Parkinsonism. We will examine the behavioral tests in common use with rodent models of Parkinson's disease and critically evaluate the appropriateness of each test for detecting motor impairment. We will show how tests of motor performance must be guided by a thorough understanding of the clinical symptoms accompanying the disease, the circuitry mediating dopamine deficits in rodents, and familiarity with the rodent behavioral repertoire. We will explain how investigations in rodents of skilled forepaw actions, including placing, grooming, or foot faults, have clear correlates in Parkinson's disease, and are, therefore, the most sensitive ways of detecting motor impairment following dopamine loss from the basal ganglia of rodents.

How reliable is the behavioural evaluation of dyskinesia in animal models of Parkinson's disease?

In spite of the current availability of several pharmacological therapies for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, side effects are invariably manifested during long-term treatment. Dyskinesia, wearing-off and on-off are among the most disabling side effects produced by the dopamine precursor L-dihydroxyphenylalanine and, to a lesser degree, by other pharmacological treatments based on dopamine receptor agonism. Evaluation of the side effects, in particular dyskinesia, produced by antiparkinsonian drug treatments, therefore represents a critical issue in drug validation prior to a clinical trial. Moreover, a reliable model of dyskinesia is a fundamental requirement for the study of the as yet unknown mechanisms at the basis of this severely disabling side effect. The present review aims to provide a critical evaluation of the validity, reliability and utility of animal models of dyskinesia. In the first part of this review, we present a brief overview of the different models of Parkinson's disease focusing on those utilized for the evaluation of dyskinetic movements, then proceed to critically examine the turning behaviour model in an attempt to assess the way in which it has influenced the evaluation of drugs utilized in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Subsequently, the various models of dyskinesia are reviewed and conclusions are drawn as to how the environment in which experiments are performed can influence the behaviour observed.

Adenosine A2A receptor antagonists improve deficits in initiation of movement and sensory motor integration in the unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine rat model of Parkinson's disease

Evidence obtained in rodent and primate models of Parkinson's disease (PD) and preliminary clinical trials, indicates that adenosine A(2A) receptor antagonists might represent a promising nondopaminergic therapeutic tool for the treatment of PD. Those studies demonstrated the ability of adenosine A(2A) receptor antagonists to potentiate l-dopa-mediated motor improvement, whereas very little is known about counteraction of specific motor deficits and on the effects of these compounds when administered alone. To this aim we evaluated the effects of different adenosine A(2A) receptor antagonists on initiation of movement deficits, gait impairment and sensory-motor deficits, induced in rats by a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesion of dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons. The following tests were used: (1) initiation time of stepping; (2) adjusting step (stepping with forelimb was measured as the forelimb was dragged laterally); (3) vibrissae-elicited forelimb placing (as index of sensory-motor integration deficits). Acute administration of the A(2A) receptor antagonists SCH 58261 (5 mg/kg i.p.) and ST 1535 (20 mg/kg i.p.) similarly to l-dopa (6 mg/kg i.p.) counteracted the impairments in the initiation time of stepping test, in the adjusting step and in the vibrissae-elicited forelimb placing induced by the lesion. The intensity of the effect was l-dopa > SCH 58261 > ST 1535. The results provide the first evidence that blockade of A(2A) receptors is effective in antagonizing specific motor deficit induced by DA neuron degeneration, such as initiation of movement and sensory-motor integration deficits, even without l-dopa combined administration.