Frequency-dependent modulation of dopamine release by nicotine

Although nicotine activation of dopamine release is implicated in addiction, it also desensitizes nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), leading to a prolonged depression of evoked dopamine release. Here we show that nicotine's effects depend on the firing pattern of dopamine neurons, so that while desensitization of nAChRs indeed curbs dopamine released by stimuli emulating tonic firing, it allows a rapid rise in dopamine from stimuli emulating phasic firing patterns associated with incentive/salience paradigms. Nicotine may thus enhance the contrast of dopamine signals associated with behavioral cues.     

Effects of neurotoxic and mechanical lesions of the mesostriatal dopamine pathway on striatal polyamine levels in the rat: modulation by chronic ganglioside GM1 treatment

In male rats, partial hemitransections but not 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced lesions of the mesostriatal dopamine (DA) pathway produce after 7 days a marked and a modest increase of striatal putrescine and spermidine levels, respectively, on the lesioned side. Following chronic ganglioside GM1 treatment of partially hemitransected rats, an increase of striatal polyamine levels was observed also on the intact side. It is suggested that retrograde cell body changes produced by hemitransection may induce striatal ornithine decarboxylase activity and in this way increase striatal putrescine levels, favoring regenerative mechanisms. The increase of striatal polyamine levels by GM1 treatment on the intact side of both 6-OHDA and mechanically lesioned rats compared with intact unoperated rats may also reflect an increased synthesis of striatal polyamines.     

GABAergic modulation of striatal peptide expression in rats and the alterations induced by dopamine antagonist treatment

GABAergic modulation of enkephalin, substance P and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) gene expression and the alterations induced by dopamine receptor blockade were studied in the rat striatum. Following subchronic treatment with the GABA-A agonist muscimol, the GABA-B agonist baclofen or the GABA transaminase inhibitor γ-vinyl GABA there were no significant changes in striatal peptide and GAD67 gene expression. Following repeated administration of the D-2 antagonists, eticlopride and haloperidol, there was an increase in enkephalin and GAD67 mRNA levels and parallel decrease in that of substance P. These were unaffected by co-administration of γ-vinyl GABA. The D-1 antagonist, SCH 23390 administered alone or together with γ-vinyl GABA did not alter peptide or GAD67 mRNA levels. It seems that pharmacological stimulation of GABA receptors has little effect on enkephalin, substance P or GAD67 mRNA expression in striatal output neurons.     

Tinnitus modulation by deep brain stimulation in locus of caudate neurons (area LC)

Tinnitus is an auditory disorder characterized by perception of internally generated phantom auditory sensations without corresponding mechanical stimuli arising from the body or external environment. Current auditory based treatment approaches, sometimes in conjunction with nonauditory based strategies, such as Tinnitus Retraining Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, have been helpful in mitigating symptoms for the majority of patients. Yet there are over 1 million tinnitus sufferers who still endure troublesome chronic, continuous head noises that are debilitating and interfere with activities of daily living. Here we show that application of deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy to a locus of caudate neurons (area LC) in the body of the nucleus, a subsite of the striatum that is not part of the classical auditory pathway, can decrease or increase tinnitus loudness perception. The DBS lead traversed through or was adjacent to area LC in six Parkinson's disease and essential tremor subjects with concomitant tinnitus who underwent implantation of the subthalamic or ventral intermediate nucleus. In five subjects where the DBS lead tip traversed area LC, tinnitus loudness in both ears was suppressed to a nadir of level 2 or lower on a 0–10 rating scale. In one subject where the DBS lead was outside area LC, tinnitus was not modulated. In three subjects with preoperative and postoperative audiograms, hearing thresholds were unchanged by area LC stimulation. Neuromodulation of area LC may be interrupting perceptual integration of phantom sensations generated in the central auditory system. This new, basal ganglia based approach to tinnitus modulation warrants further investigation and may be ultimately refined to treat patients with refractory symptoms.     

Olfactory modulation by dopamine in the context of aversive learning

The need to detect and process sensory cues varies in different behavioral contexts. Plasticity in sensory coding can be achieved by the context-specific release of neuromodulators in restricted brain areas. The context of aversion triggers the release of dopamine in the insect brain, yet the effects of dopamine on sensory coding are unknown. In this study, we characterize the morphology of dopaminergic neurons that innervate each of the antennal lobes (ALs; the first synaptic neuropils of the olfactory system) of the moth Manduca sexta and demonstrate with electrophysiology that dopamine enhances odor-evoked responses of the majority of AL neurons while reducing the responses of a small minority. Because dopamine release in higher brain areas mediates aversive learning we developed a naturalistic, ecologically inspired aversive learning paradigm in which an innately appetitive host plant floral odor is paired with a mimic of the aversive nectar of herbivorized host plants. This pairing resulted in a decrease in feeding behavior that was blocked when dopamine receptor antagonists were injected directly into the ALs. These results suggest that a transient dopaminergic enhancement of sensory output from the AL contributes to the formation of aversive memories. We propose a model of olfactory modulation in which specific contexts trigger the release of different neuromodulators in the AL to increase olfactory output to downstream areas of processing.     

Cholinergic modulation of anaphylactic dopamine release from calf lung.

Dopamine was released by specific antigen from sensitized calf lung in vitro. Dopamine release was potentiated by carbachol and inhibited by atropine. Nicotine enhanced dopamine release and this action was enhanced by tubocurarine. It is suggested that anaphylactic dopamine release is modulated by a vagal (muscarinic) mechanism in calf lung.     

Opposite modulation of cortical N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated responses by low and high concentrations of dopamine.

To examine whether dopamine modulates cortical N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated glutamate transmission, whole-cell recordings were made from identified pyramidal cells located in layers V and VI of the medial prefrontal cortex of the rat using a slice preparation. In the presence of tetrodotoxin and the absence of Mg2+, a brief local application of N-methyl-D-aspartate evoked an inward current which was blocked by the N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist dizocilpine maleate but not affected by the non-N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl-benzo(f)quinoxaline, suggesting that the observed current is mediated by N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors located on recorded cells. Bath application of dopamine produced opposite effects on the N-methyl-D-aspartate current depending on the concentrations of dopamine applied. At low concentrations (<50 microM), dopamine enhanced the N-methyl-D-aspartate current, whereas at higher concentrations, dopamine suppressed the current. The same concentrations of dopamine did not significantly affect the inward current induced by the non-N-methyl-D-aspartate agonist alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid. The enhancing effect of dopamine on the N-methyl-D-aspartate response was mimicked by the D1 agonist SKF38393 and blocked by the D1 antagonist SCH31966, whereas the suppressing effect was mimicked by the D2 agonist quinpirole and blocked by the D2 antagonist eticlopride. The above results suggest that dopamine at low concentrations acts preferentially on D1-like receptors to promote N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated transmission, while at high concentrations dopamine also activates D2-like receptors, leading to a suppression of the N-methyl-D-aspartate function. This differential modulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate function may have significant implications for understanding behaviors and disorders involving both cortical dopamine- and glutamate-mediated neurotransmission.     

Pituitary-adrenal and dopaminergic modulation of schedule-induced polydipsia: behavioral and neurochemical evidence.

Five experiments investigated in rats the effects of increasing or decreasing plasma corticosterone levels on schedule-induced polydipsia and dopamine efflux in the nucleus accumbens. The results indicate that the acquisition of schedule-induced polydipsia could be decreased by adrenalectomy, blockade of corticosterone synthesis, or administration of corticosterone. Performance of established schedule-induced polydipsia was also decreased by adrenalectomy. The effects of corticosterone administration on established schedule-induced polydipsia depended on the level of performance. High levels of drinking were enhanced by a high dose of corticosterone, whereas low rates of drinking were increased by a low dose. Similar injections of corticosterone also significantly increased dopamine efflux. The relative involvement of pituitary-adrenal activity and dopamine neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens in the acquisition and performance of SIP is discussed and related to contemporary hypotheses of schedule-induced behavior.     

Specific features of sensorimotor cerebral cortex activity modulation by dopamine releaser amantadine

The modulatory effects of amantadine (1-adamantanamine) on the activity of sensorimotor cerebral cortex neurones during microiontophoretic application of agonists of glutamatergic and GABA-ergic (γ-aminobutyric acid) transmission were studied. In non-anaesthetised cats, dopamine (DA) released by amantadine application in a small area of the neocortex increased baseline and evoked neuronal activity, providing stabilization and optimum course of both the neuronal and the conditioned responses of the animal. Amantadine eliminates a decrease in the level of neuronal baseline and evoked activity and marked increase in the latency of neuronal activation and conditioned movement mediated by D2 receptor antagonist sulpiride ((S)-5-aminosulfonyl-N-[(1-ethyl-2-pyrrolidinyl) methyl]-2-methoamantadineybenzamide) or GABA. This is reflected by a proportionate decrease in the onset of neuronal impulse reaction and latency of conditioned movement. Combined NMDA (N-methyl-d-aspartate) and amantadine application also caused a considerable increase in baseline and evoked activity, but produced a slightly weaker effect than that evoked by NMDA application alone. A decrease in the baseline and evoked neuronal activity after NMDA withdrawn lasted during next control session (up to 40 min). The ability of DA releaser amantadine to alleviate significant increase in the latency of neuronal responses and conditioned movement induced by sulpiride or GABA suggests that dopamine modulates the activity of GABA-ergic inhibitory fast spike interneurons in the cat sensorimotor cortex during conditioning.     

Differential modulation by nicotine of substantia nigra versus ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons

Midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons are found in two nuclei, the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA). The SNc dopaminergic projections to the dorsal striatum are involved in voluntary movement and habit learning, whereas the VTA projections to the ventral striatum contribute to reward and motivation. Nicotine induces profound DA release from VTA dopamine neurons but substantially less from the SNc. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) expression differs between these nuclei, but it is unknown whether there are differences in nAChR expression on the afferent projections to these nuclei. Here we have compared the nicotinic modulation of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs to VTA and SNc dopamine neurons. Although nicotine enhances both the excitatory and inhibitory drive to SNc DA cells with response magnitudes similar to those seen in the VTA, the prevalence of these responses in SNc is much lower. We also found that a mixture of nAChR subtypes underlies the synaptic modulation in SNc, further distinguishing this nucleus from the VTA, where alpha7 nAChRs enhance glutamate inputs and non-alpha7 receptors enhance GABA inputs. Finally, we compared the nicotine sensitivity of DA neurons in these two nuclei and found larger response magnitudes in VTA relative to SNc. Thus the observed differences in nicotine-induced DA release from VTA and SNc are likely due to differences in nAChR expression on the afferent inputs as well as on the DA neurons themselves. This may explain why nicotine has a greater effect on behaviors associated with the VTA than the SNc.     

Uptake and release of [3H]dopamine by the median eminence: evidence for presynaptic dopaminergic receptors and for dopaminergic feedback inhibition

The accumulation and release of [3H]dopamine by the median eminence in vitro was studied after treatments with different pharmacological agents, to determine whether such a procedure would be useful for measuring neuronal activity in the tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic system. The accumulation of [3H]dopamine was temperature, time, and sodium dependent, and reduced by unlabelled dopamine and by a potent dopamine uptake blocker, nomifensine. The outflow of tritium was studied after blocking the oxidative deamination of dopamine by nialamide. The outflow of tritium was elicited consistently by biphasic square wave electrical pulses and by high molarity potassium ions. The response to electrical stimulation was dependent largely on calcium and partially on sodium. The response to high molarity potassium ions was reduced in the absence of calcium ions. The response to electrical stimulation was increased by nomifensine and by a dopaminergic antagonist, haloperidol, and was reduced by dopamine and by a dopaminergic agonist, piribedil. The inhibitory action of dopamine was antagonized by haloperidol. These results indicate the existence of uptake and release mechanisms in the tuberoinfundibular dopamine neurons, and suggest that dopamine may inhibit its own release via dopaminergic receptors. This in vitro method may be useful for measuring dopamine uptake and release by tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons.     

Retrograde axonal transport of neurotensin in the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway in the rat.

Although the existence of receptor transport has been clearly demonstrated in peripheral nerves, there is no clear cut evidence in the brain of such a process for neuropeptide receptors. Because of the localization of neurotensin receptors on dopaminergic terminals, the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway appears to be the system of choice for studying the axonal transport of neuropeptide receptors in the brain. When labelled neurotensin was injected into the rat striatum, a delayed accumulation of radioactivity in the ipsilateral substantia nigra was observed about 2 h after injection. An essential requirement to clearly observe this phenomenon was the pretreatment of animals with kelatorphan in order to prevent the labelled neurotensin degradation. The appearance of this labelling was prevented by injection of an excess of unlabelled neurotensin or of neurotensin 8-13, an active neurotensin fragment, but not by neurotensin 1-8, which had no affinity for neurotensin receptors. This process was saturable, microtubule-dependent and occurred only in mesostriatal and nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons as identified after 6-hydroxydopamine lesion and by autoradiography. These results demonstrate that neurotensin was retrogradely transported by a process involving neurotensin receptors. The retrograde transport of receptor-bound neuropeptide may represent an important dynamic process which conveys information molecules from the synapse towards the cell body.     

Serum bacterial reaction by the alternative pathway of complement: potentiation by target multiplicity and modulation by serum factors.

The bactericidal reactions of normal human serum and of ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N-tetraacetic acid (trisodium salt)-Mg2+-treated human serum differ in a number of aspects. The latter reaction was shown (i) to require the integrity of the alternative pathway of complement, (ii) to display two levels of efficiency depending on the concentration of target bacteria, and (iii) to be modulated by the addition of thermostable serum fractions with inhibitory and stimulatory activities. The inhibitory activities were characterized to a certain extent; they comprised several glycoprotein species of molecular weights between 60,000 and 20,000. The stimulatory activities could be measured only after depletion of the inhibitors by concanavalin A-Sepharose or heat-killed bacteria and could be fractionated into several peaks by gel filtration.     

单侧损伤大鼠黑质纹状体多巴胺能通路新纹状体多巴胺受体在光镜、电镜下的变化

目的 探讨帕金森病多巴胺受体在疾病状态下超微结构上的分布变化. 方法 用免疫组织化学和包埋前免疫胶体金电镜方法,研究6-羟多巴胺(6-OHDA)单侧损毁大鼠的多巴胺能通路帕金森病模型,在4周和16周时纹状体D1多巴胺受体(D1R)和D2多巴胺受体(D2R)的变化. 结果 光镜观察显示,4周时损伤侧纹状体D1R减少,在电镜下可见该减少在棘突而不是树突或胞体;16周时,光镜下虽然损伤侧D1R恢复到损伤对侧水平,但在电镜下却可见损伤侧棘突和树突D1R数量减少,而胞体的D1R数量却明显增多.4周和16周时损伤侧D2R在光镜下均增多,在电镜下D2R胶体金颗粒增多主要发生在棘突和树突而不是胞体.另外,损伤后4周和16周,可见这两种受体的金颗粒更多地位于突触外. 结论这些变化可能在帕金森病症状发生发展及左旋多巴治疗副作用的产生中起重要作用.     

Ontogeny of the endorphinergic and dopaminergic modulation on the immobility reflex elicited by clamping in rats

The effects of some dopaminergic and endorphinergic agonists and antagonists on the immobility reflex (IR) elicited by clamping the neck of the rat were investigated. We found that both morphine and haloperidol produce a significant increase in the duration of this IR at all ages tested (10, 20 and 300 days). The effect of apomorphine depends on the age of the rat, showing an increase in the duration of the immobility reflex only at the age of 10 days which was not counteracted by haloperidol. Naloxone alone showed a slight non-significant tendency to increase the duration of the IR but blocked morphine effects at all ages tested. When naloxone was added to apomorphine there was a peculiar effect: the duration of the immobility reflex was increased significantly in rats of 20 days and adults, but not in 10-day-old rats. The combination of morphine plus haloperidol showed the most marked potentiation of the immobility reflex at all ages tested. These results are discussed with respect to the development of dopaminergic and endorphinergic systems to control posture and movement during the IR, and its possible relation to the catatonia of schizophrenics. A hypothetical model explaining an interaction between the dopaminergic and endorphinergic systems in developing and adult rats is presented.     

Nonlinear relationship between impulse flow and dopamine released by rat midbrain dopaminergic neurons as studied by in vivo electrochemistry

Mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons discharge either in a single spike mode or in a bursting pattern. In order to investigate the influence of these patterns on dopamine release, extracellular dopamine was electrochemically monitored in vivo in the olfactory tuberculum of anaesthetized rats by means of two approaches. In the first, a pure signal, unequivocally corresponding to extracellular dopamine, was recorded every minute from pargyline treated rats by differential normal pulse voltammetry combined with electrochemically treated carbon fibre electrodes. In the second, the differential current solely due to oxidation of all the catechols was monitored every 1 s in drug-free rats by differential pulse amperometry. In basal conditions this current was mainly due to extracellular DOPAC. However, electrical stimulation of the dopaminergic pathway for 20 s elicited an immediate increase in this signal. This effect was due to evoked dopamine release since it was strongly enhanced by amphetamine (2 mg/kg) or pargyline (75 mg/kg) injections. As studied with both approaches, the evoked increase in extracellular dopamine concentration was immediate and lasted as long as the stimulation. The amplitude of the effect depended on the frequency of the stimulation (from 3 to 14 Hz) in an exponential manner but never exceeded 1 microM dopamine. Bursting stimulations (frequency within the trains: 14 Hz) were twice as potent as regularly spaced ones, having the same average frequency (5 Hz). In conditions which mimicked the spontaneous activity of dopaminergic neurons when they switch from one pattern to the other (4 Hz regularly spaced stimulation versus trains at a mean frequency of 6 Hz), the bursting stimulations were found to be up to 6 times more potent. Therefore, as regards the functional efficacy of DA neurons, bursting might be much more important than mean firing frequency.     

Midbrain dopamine and prefrontal function in humans: interaction and modulation by COMT genotype

Using multimodal neuroimaging in humans, we demonstrate specific interactions between prefrontal activity and midbrain dopaminergic synthesis. A common V(108/158)M substitution in the gene for catecholamine-O-methyltransferase (COMT), an important enzyme regulating prefrontal dopamine turnover, predicted reduced dopamine synthesis in midbrain and qualitatively affected the interaction with prefrontal cortex. These data implicate a dopaminergic tuning mechanism in prefrontal cortex and suggest a systems-level mechanism for cognitive and neuropsychiatric associations with COMT.