Abstract
By means of quantitative receptor autoradiography, the modifications of dopamine (DA) receptors in selected target regions of A9 and A10 DA neurons were studied after chronic apomorphine treatment, at a dosage able to induce behavioral changes that are claimed to be due to the activation of the target areas of A9 neurons. An increase in [3H]spiperone binding sites (cold (+)-butaclamol) was observed in the dorsal and ventrolateral striatum, receiving fibers from A9 neurons, while there were no changes in the ventromedial and ventrocentral striatum, in the nucleus accumbens and in the cerebral cortex receiving fibers from A10 neurons. Our results suggest that the anatomical division of the DA target regions corresponds with a functional one.
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