Rewarding effects elicited by cocaine microinjections into the ventral tegmental area of C57BL/6 mice: involvement of dopamine D<Subscript>1</Subscript> and serotonin<Subscript>1B</Subscript> receptors

Rationale The role of ventral tegmental area (VTA) in mediating the rewarding effects of cocaine has not been extensively studied.Objectives We used the intracranial self-administration (ICSA) procedure to assess the involvement of the VTA in the rewarding effects of cocaine, and the effect of dopamine (DA) D₁- and serotonin (5-HT)_1B-receptor antagonists on ICSA of cocaine.Methods Adult male C57BL/6 mice were stereotaxically implanted, unilaterally, with a guide cannula either 1.5 or 2.3 mm above the VTA. After 1 week, mice were trained to discriminate between the two arms of a Y-maze over seven daily sessions, one arm being reinforced by intracranial cocaine microinjections. Starting from session 8, the D₁ and 5-HT_1B-receptor antagonists were injected IP pre-test each day over five consecutive sessions.Results Mice injected into the VTA rapidly exhibited a preference for the cocaine-reinforced arm, whatever the dose of cocaine available (30 pmol or 150 pmol per injection), reaching optimum ICSA performance within 5 days. In contrast, mice injected 0.8 mm above the VTA did not discriminate between the arms of the maze and performed at random, except for one subject. Once the ICSA response was acquired, systemic pre-injections of either the D₁ (SCH23390; 25 g/kg IP) or 5-HT_1B (GR127935; 0.5 mg/kg IP) antagonist disrupted this behavior. Replacement of each antagonist by vehicle led to the reinstatement of intra-VTA cocaine self-administration.Conclusions The results of the present study suggest that VTA neurons play a critical role in mediating the rewarding effects of acute cocaine and that both D₁ and 5-HT_1B receptors modulate these effects.     

Effects of long-term application of dopamine HCl on dopamine agonist-induced cAMP production in rat renal cortex

目的：观察长期给予盐酸多巴胺对大鼠肾皮质多巴胺受体亚型所介导的腺苷酸环化酶活性的影响．方法：用放免分析法测定ｃＡＭＰ含量，作为反映多巴胺受体功能的指标．结果：长期给予盐酸多巴胺可显著减少肾皮质由非诺多泮引起的ｃＡＭＰ增加的量和在Ｓｃｈ２３３９０存在下由ＰＢＤＡ引起的ｃＡＭＰ降低的量，但其变量百分比则与对照组无显著差异．Ｓｃｈ２３３９０可阻断由非诺多泮和ＰＢＤＡ引起的ｃＡＭＰ的增加，而多潘立酮可阻断在Ｓｃｈ２３３９０存在下由ＰＢＤＡ引起的ｃＡＭＰ的降低．结论：长期应用多巴胺可使大鼠肾皮质的ＤＡ１和ＤＡ２受体均发生明显的“下调”，但余留受体的反应性不变．     

Isolation rearing impairs the reinforcing efficacy of intravenous cocaine or intra-accumbensd-amphetamine: impaired response to intra-accumbens D1 and D2/D3 dopamine receptor antagonists

Male Lister hooded rats were raised from weaning either alone (isolation reared) or in groups of five (socially reared controls). At 5 months of age, bilateral guide cannulae were implanted within the nucleus accumbens, and experiments began. The effect of isolation rearing upon the reinforcing efficacy of the intravenous self-administration of cocaine (experiment 1), or the bilateral intra-accumbens self-administration ofd-amphetamine (experiment 2) was assessed. Self-administration was made contingent upon the acquisition of a novel lever-pressing response. Two identical levers were available within each operant chamber. Responding on one lever resulted in the delivery of drug (experiment 1: cocaine, 1.5 mg/kg per infusion; experiment 2:d-amphetamine, 0.25 µg/side), responding on the second, control lever was recorded but had no programmed consequences. Animals were not primed with noncontingent infusions at any time. For experiment 1, animals received intra-accumbens infusions of the D1 dopamine receptor antagonist SCH-23390, or the D2 dopamine receptor antagonist sulpiride over two test sessions. Within each session, animals received a cumulative series of doses of each dopamine receptor antagonist. A validation group received doses of each antagonist according to more conventional methods (one dose per session). In either case, intra-accumbens infusions of SCH-23390 or sulpiride enhanced the rate of the self-administration of cocaine in socially reared controls. However, isolation rearing impaired this response to intra-accumbens infusions of the dopamine receptor antagonists. Experiment 2a examined the acquisition of the intra-accumbens self-administration ofd-amphetamine. Socially reared controls acquired readily a selective response upon the drug lever. However, isolation reared animals acquired a selective response at a greatly retarded rate. In experiment 2b, a fulld-amphetamine dose-response function was examined. Isolation rearing impaired the response to a range of doses ofd-amphetamine. In experiment 2c, the infusate (1 µgd-amphetamine per infusion) was adulterated with either SCH-23390 or sulpiride. Adulteration with either dopamine receptor antagonist enhanced the rate of response by socially reared controls. Isolation rearing impaired this response to SCH-23390, and blocked the response to sulpiride. These data are discussed in relation to the functioning of cortico-limbicstriatal systems, with particular reference to the mesoaccumbens dopamine projection.     

Bilateral intra-accumbens self-administration ofd-amphetamine: Antagonism with intra-accumbens SCH-23390 and sulpiride

The efficacy ofd-amphetamine to support a selective bilateral intra-accumbens self-administration response was examined. Bilateral intra-accumbens infusions ofd-amphetamine were made contingent upon the acquisition of a lever-pressing response. Two identical levers were available within the operant chamber. Depression of the drug lever resulted in the intra-accumbens delivery of 1 µgd-amphetamine; responses upon the second, control lever were recorded but had no programmed consequences. Animals were not primed with non-contingent infusions ofd-amphetamine at any time during these experiments. Nonetheless, animals readily acquired a selective response upon the drug lever. Removal of thed-amphetamine moiety from the infusate resulted in a large decline in responding, and the abolition of the selectivity of the response for the drug lever. Adulteration of the infusate with either the D₁ dopamine receptor antagonist SCH-23390 or the D₂ dopamine receptor antagonist sulpiride enhanced the rate of response selectively upon the drug lever. Reductions in the dose ofd-amphetamine also increased the rate of response. The effect of co-adulteration of the infusate with both SCH-23390 and sulpiride together was purely additive. The implications of these data for the methodology of intracranial drug self-administration, and the relationship between D₁ and D₂ dopamine receptors within the nucleus accumbens are discussed.     

Endogenous Dopamine Modulates Corticopallidal Influences via GABA

Acute experiments on Sprague-Dawley rats were performed to study the effects of local application of D₁ and D₂ receptor antagonists (SCH 23390 and raclopride) on the responses of neurons in the globus pallidus induced by stimulation of the somatosensory cortex. SCH 23390 induced short-latency inhibition in response to stimulation of the cortex and blocked long-latency inhibition. Application of raclopride suppressed short-latency inhibition and induced a long-latency inhibitory response to stimulation of the cortex. It is suggested that these changes are based on modulation of GABA release from striopallidal terminals by endogenous dopamine.     

Effect of cocaine self-administration on striatal dopamine D1 receptors in rhesus monkeys

An array of evidence indicates that long-term exposure to cocaine alters several components of the brain dopamine system. Because the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) has been implicated in mediating the reinforcing effects of cocaine, changes in dopamine function can have profound effects on drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior. The present study examined the effects of the chronic self-administration of cocaine on the D₁ family of dopamine receptors in the rhesus monkey. The brains of three rhesus monkeys that had intravenously self-administered an average of 1.35 mg/kg cocaine per day for 18–22 months were compared to the brains of three cocaine-naive controls. The in vitro quantitative autoradiographic technique was used to quantify binding densities of the D₁ ligand [³H]SCH-23390 on cryostat-cut sections of fresh frozen tissue. In animals that self-administered cocaine, the density of D₁ binding was significantly lower in the regions of the striatum at the level where the nucleus accumbens is most fully developed. The shell of the NAc showed the largest difference with significantly lower D₁ binding also detected in adjacent regions of the caudate nucleus and the putamen. No differences were found in the rostral pole of the NAc or the dorsal striatum at that level. These findings suggest that chronic self-administration of cocaine can modulate the density of dopamine D₁ receptors in specific portions of the primate striatum. Such changes might underlie some of the behavioral consequences, like drug dependence and craving, of long-term cocaine use. Synapse 28:1–9, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Developmental plasticity in the D1- and D2-mediation of motor behavior in rats depleted of dopamine as neonates

D1- and D2-like antagonist-induced catalepsy and dorsal immobility were studied in pups (Day 10) and weanlings (Days 20, 28, or 35) that received intraventricular injections of 6-OHDA (50 μg/hemisphere) or its vehicle solution on postnatal Day 3. The ability of the D1 or D2 antagonists to induce immobility differed as a function of the lesion condition and the age at the time of testing. Moreover, the two behavioral measures exhibited differences in their specific D1 and D2 receptor modulation. Administration of the D1 antagonist SCH 23390 (0.2 or 1.0 mg/kg) or the D2 antagonist clebopride (1.0, 10 0, or 20.0 mg/kg) led to catalepsy and dorsal immobility in intact rats, regardless of test age. Both antagonists induced catalepsy and dorsal immobility in rats depleted of DA when tested on Day 10. However, the effects of each antagonist in DA-depleted rats were either negligible or significantly less than in controls when animals were tested as weanlings. These data suggest lesion-induced changes in the DA receptor modulation of motor behavior and that this plasticity requires more than a week to become apparent. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

美多巴与SCH 23390 在热环境中对大鼠体温的调节作用

观察美多巴和多巴胺Ｄ１受体拮抗剂ＳＣＨ２３３９０对大鼠体温的调节作用。实验大鼠预先分别给予两种药物后置于相同的热环境中,观察体温升高速率,同时用放射配基结合法检测纹状体中Ｄ１Ｒ的平衡解离常数和最大结合容量,用放射反应试剂盒测定纹状体中ｃＡＭＰ的浓度,用流式细胞仪检测纹状体细胞中钙调素的相对活性。结果表明：多巴胺受体激动剂美多巴能明显加快动物升温,而Ｄ１Ｒ拮抗剂ＳＣＨ２３３９０则明显阻升温,两种药物     

Neurotransmitter signaling pathways required for normal development in Xenopus laevis embryos: a pharmacological survey screen

Neurotransmitters are not only involved in brain function but are also important signaling molecules for many diverse cell types. Neurotransmitters are widely conserved, from evolutionarily ancient organisms lacking nervous systems through man. Here, results are reported from a loss‐ and gain‐of‐function survey, using pharmacological modulators of several neurotransmitter pathways to examine possible roles for these pathways in normal embryogenesis. Applying reagents targeting the glutamatergic, adrenergic and dopaminergic pathways to embryos of Xenopus laevis from gastrulation to organogenesis stages, we observed and quantified numerous malformations, including craniofacial defects, hyperpigmentation, muscle mispatterning and miscoiling of the gut. These data implicate several key neurotransmitters in new embryonic patterning roles, reveal novel earlier stages for processes involved in eye development, suggest new targets for subsequent molecular‐genetic investigation, and highlight the necessity for in‐depth toxicology studies of psychoactive compounds to which human embryos might be exposed during pregnancy.     

Effects of daily SKF 38393, quinpirole,and SCH 23390 treatments on locomotor activity and subsequent sensitivity to apomorphine

In three experiments, male Wistar rats (250–350 g) were injected (SC) daily with the D₁-type dopamine receptor agonist, SKF 38393 (0.0, 4.0, 8.0, or 16.0 mg/kg), the D₂-type dopamine receptor agonist, quinpirole (0.0, 0.3, or 3.0 mg/kg), and/or the D₁-type dopamine receptor antagonist, SCH 23390 (0.0 or 0.5 mg/kg) for 8–10 days. After each daily injection, the rats were tested for locomotor activity in photocell arenas for 20 min. Following this subchronic pretreatment, all rats were challenged with the mixed dopamine receptor agonist apomorphine (1.0 mg/kg, SC) and tested for locomotor activity. SKF 38393 treatments produced a dose-dependent decrease in locomotor activity which did not significantly change across days. Quinpirole also depressed locomotor activity when first injected, but this quinpirole-induced inhibition of activity progressively decreased across days. When subsequently challenged with apomorphine, rats in both the SKF 38393 and the quinpirole pretreatment groups displayed greater locomotor activity than rats pretreated with only vehicle. Although SCH 23390 pretreatments did not affect subsequent sensitivity to apomorphine, SCH 23390 completely blocked the effect of quinpirole. These results suggest that although repeated D₁ receptor stimulation may be sufficient to induce behavioral sensitization to apomorphine, D₂ receptor stimulation also contributes to the effect.Portions of this paper were presented at the 1991 Society for Neuroscience meetings, New Orleans, La, USA.