| Abstract: | The present investigation was conducted to document a role of -threo-3,4-dihydroxyphenylserine (-DOPS), precursor of -norepinephrine (NE), in the functional recovery from beam-walking performance deficits in rats after unilateral sensorimotor cortex ablation. -DOPS was administered simultaneously with benserazide (BSZ; a peripheral aromatic amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor), and the regional contents of NE in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum were assayed. Behavioral recovery was demonstrated by the rats treated with -DOPS and BSZ, and the rate of recovery was significantly different from that of either BSZ-treated or vehicle-treated control rats. The NE tissue levels in the three discrete regions of the rat brain were significantly elevated in the experimental rats receiving both -DOPS and BSZ. The present studies indicate that increasing NE levels by the precursor -DOPS may be responsible for facilitating behavioral recovery from beam-walking performance deficits in rats, and further suggest that -DOPS may become one of the candidate compounds for further clinical human trials promoting functional recovery after injuries to the cerebral cortex. |
