The involvement of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the locomotor stimulation produced by (+)-amphetamine in naive and dopamine-depleted mice

Dopamine Synthesis Capacity is Associated with D2/3 Receptor Binding but Not Dopamine Release

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging allows the estimation of multiple aspects of dopamine function including dopamine synthesis capacity, dopamine release, and D2/3 receptor binding. Though dopaminergic dysregulation characterizes a number of neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia and addiction, there has been relatively little investigation into the nature of relationships across dopamine markers within healthy individuals. Here we used PET imaging in 40 healthy adults to compare, within individuals, the estimates of dopamine synthesis capacity (K_i) using 6-[¹⁸F]fluoro-l-m-tyrosine ([¹⁸F]FMT; a substrate for aromatic amino acid decarboxylase), baseline D2/3 receptor-binding potential using [¹¹C]raclopride (a weak competitive D2/3 receptor antagonist), and dopamine release using [¹¹C]raclopride paired with oral methylphenidate administration. Methylphenidate increases synaptic dopamine by blocking the dopamine transporter. We estimated dopamine release by contrasting baseline D2/3 receptor binding and D2/3 receptor binding following methylphenidate. Analysis of relationships among the three measurements within striatal regions of interest revealed a positive correlation between [¹⁸F]FMT K_i and the baseline (placebo) [¹¹C]raclopride measure, such that participants with greater synthesis capacity showed higher D2/3 receptor-binding potential. In contrast, there was no relationship between [¹⁸F]FMT and methylphenidate-induced [¹¹C]raclopride displacement. These findings shed light on the nature of regulation between pre- and postsynaptic dopamine function in healthy adults, which may serve as a template from which to identify and describe alteration with disease.

Restoration of amphetamine-induced locomotor sensitization in dopamine D1 receptor-deficient mice

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

Amphetamine-induced sensitization is thought to involve dopamine D(1) receptors. Using mice lacking dopamine D(1) receptors (D (1) (-/-) ), we found that they exhibited blunted sensitization to low doses of amphetamine, while others using different treatment and testing regimens reported inconsistent results. We investigated whether experimental variables, alteration in gene expression or cholinergic input played a role in amphetamine-induced responses.

METHODS

D (1) (-/-) and wild-type (D (1) (+/+) ) mice pretreated with amphetamine (1 mg/kg, 3-7 days) or various doses of nicotine (chronically but intermittently) were challenged with amphetamine (0.7 and/or 1 mg/kg) after short and long abstinence periods. Expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and phosphorylated c-AMP response element binding protein (p-CREB) genes were measured under basal conditions and after acute or repeated amphetamine treatments.

RESULTS

D (1) (-/-) mice failed to exhibit amphetamine-induced sensitization following short-term treatments and long abstinence periods, but expressed sensitization following prolonged amphetamine treatment or a shorter abstinence period. Basal expression of p-CREB (but not BDNF) was higher in D (1) (-/-) than D (1) (+/+) mice and was reduced after amphetamine treatment. Prolonged nicotine pretreatment augmented locomotor responses to amphetamine in both genotypes and restored sensitization in D (1) (-/-) mice.

CONCLUSIONS

D(1) receptors were necessary for induction, but may not be necessary for expression of amphetamine-induced sensitization at low doses. The manifestation of amphetamine sensitization depended on the duration of treatment and length of the withdrawal period. Cholinergic-nicotinic stimulation restored amphetamine-induced sensitization in D (1) (-/-) mice. Enhanced basal expression of p-CREB in D (1) (-/-) mice may represent an adaptive mechanism related to lack of D(1) receptors.

Effects of the selective dopamine D(1) antagonists NNC 01-0112 and SCH 39166 on latent inhibition in the rat

Dopamine D(1) receptor blockade does not appear to be a prerequisite for antipsychotic activity since many clinically effective antipsychotics have little or no affinity for this receptor subtype. Clozapine, however, which has minimal liability for extrapyramidal symptoms, possesses affinities of similar order for D(1) and D(2) receptors. In earlier animal models used to predict antipsychotic effect, selective D(1) antagonists have shown effects similar to standard antipsychotics with preferential D(2) or mixed D(1)/D(2) antagonism. We investigated the effects of haloperidol (0.1 mg/kg) and two selective D(1) antagonists, NNC 01-0112 (0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg) and SCH 39166 (0.02, 0.2 and 2.0 mg/kg), on latent inhibition (LI) in rats. LI is a behavioural paradigm in which repeated nonreinforced preexposure to a stimulus retards subsequent associations to that stimulus. Disrupted LI has been suggested as a model for the attentional deficits in schizophrenia. Using preexposure to a flashing light stimulus, which subsequently served as a conditioned stimulus for suppression of water licking, we demonstrated a clear LI effect with haloperidol but with neither of the two D(1) antagonists. Since selective D(1) antagonists are not clinically effective, these results add further credibility for the relevance of LI as an animal model of psychosis.

Heterogeneity of the hippocampus: effects of subfield lesions on locomotion elicited by dopaminergic agonists

Structural abnormalities in the hippocampal formation and overactive dopamine neurotransmission in the ventral striatum are thought to be key pathologies in schizophrenia. This experiment examined the functional contribution of different hippocampal subfields to locomotion elicited by D-amphetamine (0.32-3.2 mg/kg) and the direct agonists quinpirole (0.025-0.5 mg/kg) and SKF 38393 (2.5-15.0 mg/kg). Male rats served as unoperated controls or received one of six different lesions (hippocampal formation, fimbria-fornix, subiculum, CA3-4, entorhinal cortex or dentate gyrus (DG)). The main results indicated that extensive ibotenic acid-induced lesions of the hippocampal formation, or colchicine-induced lesions of the DG enhanced locomotion elicited by the D2 agonist quinpirole. Electrolytic lesions of the fimbria-fornix, in comparison, had much larger effects and resulted in increases in the locomotor response to amphetamine and quinpirole. These results extend previous demonstrations of hippocampal modulation of the ventral striatum by showing that this modulatory influence is dependent on both the location and total extent of cell loss within the hippocampal formation. The results are discussed in relation to the causes of and neurophysiological mechanisms involved in enhanced drug-induced locomotion and in terms of their implications for mental diseases including schizophrenia.

Neurochemical bases of locomotion and ethanol stimulant effects

The locomotor stimulant effect produced by alcohol (ethanol) is one of a large number of measurable ethanol effects. Ethanol-induced euphoria in humans and locomotor stimulation in rodents, a potential animal model of human euphoria, have long been recognized and the latter has been extensively characterized. Since the euphoria produced by ethanol may influence the development of uncontrolled or excessive alcohol use, a solid understanding of the neurochemical substrates underlying such effects is important. Such an understanding for spontaneous locomotion and for ethanol's stimulant effects is beginning to emerge. Herein we review what is known about three neurochemical substrates of locomotion and of ethanol's locomotor stimulant effects. Several lines of research have implicated dopaminergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic neurotransmitter systems in determining these behaviors. A large collection of work is cited, which strongly implicates the above-mentioned neurotransmitter substances in the control of spontaneous locomotion. A smaller, but persuasive, body of evidence suggests that central nervous system processes utilizing these transmitters are involved in determining the effects of ethanol on locomotion. Particular emphasis has been placed on the mesolimbic ventral tegmental area to nucleus accumbens dopaminergic pathway, and on the ventral pallidum/substantia innominata, where GABA and glutamate have been found to play a role in altering the activity of this dopaminergic pathway. Research on ethanol and drug locomotor sensitization, increased responsiveness to the substance with repeated administration, is also reviewed as a process that may be important in the development of drug addiction.

Dopamine antagonist effects on locomotor activity in naive and ethanol-treated FAST and SLOW selected lines of mice

The FAST and SLOW lines of mice are being selectively bred in replicate for differential sensitivities to the locomotor activating effects of ethanol. Whereas FAST-1 and FAST-2 mice are stimulated by 2.0 g/kg ethanol, SLOW-1 and SLOW-2 mice are not stimulated, and are often depressed, by this dose. The dopamine antagonists, SCH-23390 (D1) and raclopride (D2), produced dose-dependent decreases in the locomotor activity of EtOH-naive mice of both lines and replicates; however, FAST and SLOW mice were not differentially sensitive to these effects. The absence of a line difference in activity response to the dopamine antagonists suggests that dopamine receptor function has not been altered by selective breeding for differences in sensitivity to the stimulant effects of ethanol. The ethanol-stimulated activity of FAST-1 and FAST-2 mice was decreased by administration of the dopamine antagonists, haloperidol and raclopride, at doses that had no effect on basal locomotor activity. SCH-23390 decreased ethanol-stimulated activity of FAST-1, but not FAST-2 mice. The ethanol-induced activity changes of SLOW mice were generally unaffected by antagonist administration. These results suggest a role for dopaminergic systems in mediating ethanol-stimulated activity in selectively bred FAST mice. Coadministration of SCH-23390 and raclopride decreased ethanol-induced activation to a greater degree than either drug alone, further suggesting that both D1 and D2 receptor systems contribute to the full expression of the ethanol stimulant response.

Reward summation and the effects of dopamine D1 and D2 agonists and antagonists on fixed-interval responding for brain stimulation

The effects of dopamine D1 and D2 agonists and antagonists on fixed-interval (FI) self-stimulation were investigated using a reward-summation model, trading off frequency with train duration. The D1 antagonist SCH 23390 (0.005-0.02 mg/kg) decreased FI self-stimulation and the inhibition was reversed by increasing stimulation frequency. Moreover, amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg) reversed the inhibition by a low dose of SCH 23390 (0.005 mg/kg) but not after a higher dose inhibition could not be dissociated from a performance deficit. There was no significant interaction between low doses of spiperone and SCH 23390 when coadministered that could not be predicted from their effects when given individually. Self-stimulation was inhibited by the D1 agonist SKF 38393 (5 mg/kg). When coadministered with amphetamine, SKF 38393 partially blocked amphetamine's facilitation. The D2 agonist bromocriptine (10 mg/kg) produced an extraordinary enhancement of performance that was also evident after a lower dose (5 mg/kg) when it was combined with amphetamine. This enhancement of performance showed little extinction when stimulation was no longer available, suggesting it was a novel form of stereotypy. These results support the concept that D1 dopamine receptors play a critical role in modulating the reinforcing consequences of lateral hypothalamic stimulation. The involvement of D2 receptors on reinforcement processes remains contentious due to their effects on performance and insensitivity of responding to coincide with changes in reinforcement magnitude.

Dopamine receptors: molecular biology, biochemistry and behavioural aspects

The description of new dopamine (DA) receptor subtypes, D1-(D1 and D5) and D2-like (D2A, D2B, D3, D4), has given an impetus to DA research. While selective agonists and antagonists are not generally available yet, the receptor distribution in the brain suggests that they could be new targets for drug development. Binding characteristics and second messenger coupling has been explored in cell lines expressing the new cloned receptors. The absence of selective ligands has meant that in vivo studies have lagged behind. However, progress has been made in understanding the function of DA-containing discrete brain nuclei and the functional consequence of the DA's interaction with other neurotransmitters. This review explores some of the latest advances in these various areas.

The involvement of D1 and D2 dopamine receptors in amphetamine-induced changes in striatal unit activity in behaving rats

Selective D1 (SCH-23390) and D2 (eticlopride and sulpiride) dopamine receptor antagonists were assessed for their ability to reverse the effects of 1.0 mg/kg D-amphetamine on excitatory motor-related neurons in the striatum of freely moving rats. SCH-23390 (0.125, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg) rapidly and consistently blocked amphetamine-induced neuronal excitations as did eticlopride (0.25 and 1.0 mg/kg). In contrast, (-)-sulpiride (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg) failed to alter the neuronal response to amphetamine. Similarly, SCH-23390 and eticlopride also blocked the behavioral effects of amphetamine, but sulpiride did not. Collectively, these results support the involvement of D1 and D2 dopamine receptors in the excitatory effects of amphetamine on striatal neurons, but suggest caution in assessing the neuronal and behavioral effects of sulpiride.

Role of dopamine and GABA in the control of motor activity elicited from the rat nucleus accumbens

The application of 1.2 and 12.0 micrograms/side of the GABAA receptor agonist 3-aminopropane sulphonic acid bilaterally into the nucleus accumbens (Acb) of rats nonsignificantly depressed locomotor activity as assessed in automated Animex activity cages, while the highest dose (60 micrograms/side) significantly stimulated activity. The GABAA receptor antagonists picrotoxinin (0.0625 and 0.125 micrograms/saide) and bicuculline (0.895 micrograms/side) produced forward locomotion around the cage accompanied by a number of other behaviours. The GABAB agonist baclofen (0.023 and 0.092 micrograms/side) induced a short-lasting (18 min) locomotor depression. None of the GABAB antagonists tested (2-hydroxysaclofen 2.6 micrograms/side, two novel beta-(benzo[b]furan) analogues of baclofen 9G or 9H each 6.8 micrograms/side, 4-aminobutylphosphonic acid 1.32 micrograms/side and phaclofen 0.535 and 2 micrograms/side) significantly affected locomotor activity. In rats pretreated with reserpine and alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine, picrotoxinin (0.0625 and 0.125 micrograms/side) did not significantly alter locomotor activity. Furthermore, when picrotoxinin (0.0625 micrograms/side) was combined with either the selective dopamine (DA) D1 agonist SKF38393 or the selective D2 agonist quinpirole, no significant alteration in locomotor function occurred. When SKF38393 and quinpirole were coadministered, significant stimulation occurred which was further enhanced by the addition of picrotoxinin. It is concluded that GABAA receptors, together with D1 and D2 receptors, play a major role in modulating the control of motor function by the Acb of rats.

Latent inhibition is unaffected by direct dopamine agonists

Latent inhibition (LI) refers to the finding that nonreinforced preexposure to a stimulus retards subsequent conditioning to that stimulus when it is paired with reinforcement. The development of LI reflects a process of learning not to attend, or ignore, irrelevant stimuli. Previous experiments showed that LI was disrupted by low but not high doses of amphetamine, and facilitated by neuroleptic drugs. The present experiments sought to investigate the role of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in LI disruption. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that the selective D1 agonist, SKF-38393 (1, 5, 10 mg/kg) and the selective D2 agonist, quinpirole (0.1, 0.3, 1.0 mg/kg), did not affect LI. Experiment 3 showed that both low (0.3 mg/kg) and high (1.5 mg/kg) doses of the mixed D1-D2 agonist, apomorphine, failed to affect L1. These results show that L1 is not disrupted by direct stimulation of DA receptors and suggest that the differential effect exerted on this phenomenon by apomorphine (and possibly SKF-38393 and quinpirole) and amphetamine is related to the direct versus the indirect agonist action of these drugs. In addition, apomorphine at the dose of 0.03 mg/kg, which is believed to activate preferentially DA autoreceptors, did not produce neuroleptic-like facilitation of LI. The implications of the results of the involvement of DA mechanisms in L1 are discussed.

Synergistic interactions between the NMDA antagonist dizocilpine and the preferential dopamine autoreceptor antagonists (+)-AJ 76 and (+)-UH 232 with regard to locomotor stimulation in monoamine-depleted mice

When administered to mice pretreated with the monoamine-depleter reserpine and the catecholamine synthesis inhibitor alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine, the preferential autoreceptor antagonists (+)-AJ76 and (+)-UH 232 induced weak locomotor stimulation. When either (+)-AJ 76 or (+)-UH 232 was combined with a subthreshold dose of the selective NMDA antagonist dizocilpine (MK-801), a marked locomotor stimulation was produced in monoamine-depleted mice. The mechanism of this stimulation, although reduced by dopamine antagonists, remains to be clarified.

Effects of selective D1 and D2 dopamine antagonists on the development of behavioral sensitization to apomorphine

The objective of the present study was to determine whether the development of behavioral sensitization to apomorphine could be blocked by either D1 or D2 selective dopamine antagonists. In three experiments, male rats received 10-21 daily injections of a selective D1 (SCH 23390; 0 or 0.5 mg/kg IP) or D2 (sulpiride; 0, 30, or 100 mg/kg IP) antagonist followed by an apomorphine (0 or 1.0 mg/kg SC) injection. In two experiments, the rats were tested for locomotor activity in photocell arenas after the daily injections. In all experiments, the rats were tested for sensitization to apomorphine following the training phase. The results indicated that apomorphine produced a progressively greater increase in locomotor activity with each injection, and this apomorphine-induced increase in activity was completely blocked by both sulpiride and SCH 23390 treatments. However, although both sulpiride and SCH 23390 blocked apomorphine-induced activity, only SCH 23390 injections prevented the development of sensitization to apomorphine. That is, rats pretreated with sulpiride and apomorphine displayed significant sensitization when subsequently tested with a challenge dose of apomorphine alone. These findings suggest that the development of behavioral sensitization to apomorphine is related specifically to the stimulation of dopamine D1 receptors.

Behavioural, biochemical and electrophysiological studies on the motor depressant and stimulant effects of bromocriptine

Bromocriptine (BRC) produced a biphasic behavioural effect in mice; an early depressant phase which lasted for about 1 h and a later stimulant phase which lasted from about 1 to 5 h. The stimulation was blocked with SCH23390. Both phases of activity were accompanied by marked striatal DA autoreceptor effects as indicated by reductions in dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) levels and by a reduction in the accumulation of DOPA (after inhibition of nigrostriatal DA nerve firing and DOPA decarboxylase). However, while the autoreceptor effects were still evident during the behavioural stimulant phase, there was a gradual rise in DOPAC and HVA from 1 to 4 h after injection, indicating a gradually increasing DA turnover. We were unable, using a variety of behavioural and biochemical paradigms, to demonstrate any change in DA autoreceptor sensitivity after one dose of BRC. In electrophysiological studies, however, it was found that prior exposure of rats to one dose of BRC rendered them subsensitive to the rate-inhibiting effects of a second dose of BRC, as measured in anaesthetized animals using extracellular single cell recordings of identified DA neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. It is concluded firstly, that the stimulant phase of BRC in mice occurs despite continued occupation of the DA autoreceptors by BRC because adequate endogenous DA is available to provide the required D1 receptor stimulation and secondly, that the terminal autoreceptors in the striatum (as assessed in mice using biochemical techniques) may be regulated differently to the somatodendritic autoreceptors (as assessed electrophysiologically in rats).

Alpha 1 (but not alpha 2)-adrenoceptor agonists in combination with the dopamine D2 agonist quinpirole produce locomotor stimulation in dopamine-depleted mice

Mice were premedicated with reserpine and alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine to deplete stores of dopamine (DA) (and other neurotransmitters) and to stop DA (and noradrenaline (NA] synthesis. In DA-depleted mice, the mixed alpha 1/alpha 2 agonist clonidine potentiated locomotor stimulation induced by a low dose of apomorphine as measured in automated activity cages. Clonidine and the slightly alpha 1-selective agonist ST587, but not ST91, an alpha-agonist which does not readily cross the blood brain barrier, produced marked stimulation when combined with the selective D2 agonist quinpirole. The D1 -selective agonist SKF38393 also produced marked excitation when combined with quinpirole. All the selective agonists, bar quinpirole which in some cases produced a significant locomotor stimulation, were relatively inactive when given alone. A "blind" observational analysis of the animals challenged with clonidine plus quinpirole indicated an increase in sniffing, rearing and shaking behaviour. In contrast, observation of the animals challenged with SKF38393 plus quinpirole indicated increased sniffing, rearing and biting and, in one case, increased grooming behaviour. Clonidine did not produce excitation (in automated cages) when combined with the selective D1 agonist SKF38393. The excitation produced by clonidine plus quinpirole was blocked by the selective D2 antagonist raclopride but not by the selective D1 antagonist SCH23390. The stimulation was also blocked by the alpha 1 antagonist prazosin but not by the alpha 2 antagonists idazoxan or yohimbine. Biochemical analysis in the striata of mice challenged with clonidine plus quinpirole did not provide any obvious biochemical basis for the behavioural interaction. It is concluded that alpha 1 receptor agonists in combination with D2 DA agonists can produce marked stimulation in DA depleted mice.