Discrete quinolinic acid lesions of the lateral but not of the medial caudate-putamen reversed haloperidol-induced catalepsy in rats

Amelioration of behavioral deficits in a rat model of Huntington's disease by an excitotoxic lesion to the globus pallidus

Four groups of rats, sustaining a striatal quinolinic acid (QA) lesion, a pallidal QA lesion, a combined striatal + pallidal lesion, or sham operation, were tested in spontaneous and amphetamine-induced activity, spatial navigation in a water maze, position discrimination and reversal in a wet T maze, and food manipulation. The striatal lesion markedly impaired rats' performance on the motor and cognitive tasks. In contrast, rats sustaining a bilateral lesion to the GP in addition to the striatal lesion performed similarly to sham-operated rats on the motor and cognitive tasks, although they showed a transient decrease in activity levels. Given that a similar dysfunction of basal ganglia circuitry is thought to subserve the behavioral alterations seen in QA-lesioned rats and Huntington's disease (HD) patients, the present results raise the possibility that manipulations of the external segment of the globus pallidus (the primate analogue of the rat GP) could ameliorate some of HD symptoms.

Distribution of serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptors in afferents of the rat striatum

Treatment with conventional antipsychotic drugs (APDs) is accompanied by extrapyramidal side effects (EPS), which are thought to be due to striatal dopamine D(2) receptor blockade. In contrast, treatment with atypical APDs is marked by a low incidence or absence of EPS. The reduced motor side effect liability of atypical APDs has been attributed to a high serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptor affinity coupled with a relatively low D(2) affinity. Despite the high density of 5-HT(2A) binding sites in the striatum, there are few detectable 5-HT(2A) mRNA-expressing neurons in the striatum. This suggests that most striatal 5-HT(2A) receptors are heteroceptors located on afferent axons. A combined retrograde tracer-immunohistochemistry method was used to determine the sites of origin of striatal 5-HT(2A)-like immunoreactive axons. 5-HT(2A)-like immunoreactive neurons in both the cortex and globus pallidus were retrogradely labeled from the striatum; very few nigrostriatal or thalamostriatal neurons expressed 5-HT(2A)-like immunoreactivity. Within the striatum, parvalbumin-containing interneurons displayed 5-HT(2A) immunolabeling; these neurons are the targets of cortical and pallidal projections. Our data indicate that cortico- and pallido-striatal neurons are the major source of 5-HT(2A) receptor binding in the striatum, and suggest that cortico- and pallido-striatal neurons are strategically positioned to reduce the motor side effects that accompany striatal D(2) receptor blockade or are seen in parkinsonism.

Haloperidol catalepsy consolidation in the rat as a model of neuromodulatory integration

Haloperidol, a non-selective D(2) dopamine antagonist, both in vitro (1 microM) and in vivo (2.5 mg/kg i.p.), induced a long-term potentiation of K(+)-induced Ca(2+)-dependent release of endogenous noradrenaline and dopamine in rat brain cortical slices, by increasing the content of noradrenaline and dopamine known to be controlled by dopamine auto- and heteroreceptors. Haloperidol administration (2.5 mg/kg i.p.) evoked catalepsy and increased the content of noradrenaline and dopamine in the same structures of the brain. Haloperidol catalepsy consolidated without any additional learning and could be retrieved up to two weeks later by placing the animals in the test box. The catalepsy is disordered and retrieved only in the test box. The catalepsy was more intense on day 14 than on day 7. Injection of haloperidol immediately after conditioning evened the reflex retrieval on the following days. Moreover, learning increased the intensity of catalepsy in animals tested on the day of injection. Repeated testing of the reflex on the following days led to specific modifications of catalepsy retrieval. Pre-conditioned rats exhibited maximal catalepsy when tested immediately after being placed in the test box. These results suggest that both the processes of long-term potentiation and catalepsy consolidation are mediated by the same type of receptors, long-term modulation-inducing receptors. Endogenous neuromodulators, acting non-specifically or diffusely via their respective long-term modulation-inducing receptors, can initiate and consolidate generalized states which form the basis for emotional and motivational states.

Parallel information processing in the dorsal striatum: relation to hippocampal function

We investigated the effects of localized medial and lateral CPu lesions and fornix/fimbria lesions on responses to a local cue and to behavior based on cognitive-spatial information in the water maze. Rats were trained concurrently on the cue (visible platform) and spatial (submerged platform) components of the task, followed by a test in which responses to the two types of information were dissociated by a measure of competing response tendencies. Bilateral lesions of lateral CPu did not affect acquisition of either cue or spatial responding but produced a preference for the spatial response on the competition test. Bilateral lesions of the medial CPu retarded but did not prevent learning both components and produced a preference for the cue response on the competition test. The latter effect was accompanied by increased thigmotaxis (swimming in the periphery of the pool), primarily during the early acquisition trials, which was attributed to an impaired ability to respond to learned spatial information. Fornix/fimbria lesions prevented spatial but not cue learning and produced a preference for the cue response on the competition test. Asymmetric lesions (unilateral hippocampus and contralateral medial CPu) produced mild retardation of acquisition of both the cue and spatial tasks and a preference for the cue response on the competition test. These findings dissociate the functions of the lateral and medial CPu and suggest that the hippocampus and medial CPu may be parts of a system that promotes responding based on learned cognitive-spatial information, particularly in competitive cue-place response situations.

Effects of medial and lateral caudate-putamen lesions on place- and cue-guided behaviors in the water maze: relation to thigmotaxis

Rats with dorsomedial or dorsolateral caudate-putamen lesions and sham-operated controls were trained on the standard hidden platform (place) task in the water maze. Compared to controls, rats with dorsomedial, but not dorsolateral lesions were slower to escape to the hidden platform and spent significantly more time swimming near the wall of the pool (thigmotaxis) on the early trials, but eventually achieved control levels of performance. When the platform was removed from the pool, all groups exhibited a significant bias for swimming in the training quadrant and crossing the former location of the platform. In the second phase of the experiment rats were given visible platform (cue) training in a different room/pool with the platform moved to a new location each day. Rats with dorsomedial, but not dorsolateral lesions required more trials to reach criterion; again, thigmotaxis was observed on the early trials. The third phase, carried out in the original room/pool, included a place-retention trial followed by a place-cue competition test, (i.e. a choice between the learned spatial location of the hidden platform and the visible platform in a new location). The rats with dorsomedial, but not dorsolateral lesions swam to the visible platform more frequently than the controls. In the final phase, the rats in both lesion groups exhibited slightly lower thigmotactic tendencies than controls in a standard dry-land open field, a finding inconsistent with the hypothesis that thigmotaxis in the water maze is due to increased fear or anxiety. Taken together with other behavioral and anatomical findings, the results suggest that the dorsomedial caudate-putamen, by virtue of its connections with limbic and prefrontal cortical regions, may mediate a response selection process that integrates cognitive information with stimulus-response tendencies.

The effects of globus pallidus lesions on dopamine-dependent motor behaviour in rats

Motor effects of bilateral lesions of the globus pallidus induced by quinolinic acid (30 and 60 nmol in 0.5 microl) were investigated in rats. Globus pallidus lesions with 60 nmol quinolinic acid produced a significant reduction of spontaneous motor activity measured by a reduced locomotor activity in an open field and by a reduced sniffing activity in an experimental chamber. In addition, D-amphetamine (1 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced hyperlocomotion and D-amphetamine (3 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced stereotyped sniffing were significantly reduced in animals with quinolinic acid lesions (60 nmol). Globus pallidus lesions with 60 nmol quinolinic acid potently reversed catalepsy induced by systemic administration of the dopamine D1 receptor antagonist SCH23390 (0.75 and 1 mg/kg, i.p.) or the dopamine D2 receptor antagonist raclopride (1.25 and 5 mg/kg, i.p.), while lesions with 30 nmol quinolinic acid exerted anti-cataleptic effects which were only partly significant. In line with current models of basal ganglia functions, these findings indicate that inactivation of the globus pallidus reduced spontaneous motor activity and motor hyperactivity after dopamine receptor stimulation. However, the present data also demonstrate that inactivation of the globus pallidus reversed motor hypoactivity induced by a blockade of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors. Therefore, a more complex functional model of the globus pallidus is required to account for the opposite effects on motor behaviour observed after lesions of this basal ganglia nucleus.

Effects of risperidone and haloperidol on tachykinin and opioid precursor peptide mRNA levels in the caudate-putamen and nucleus accumbens of the rat

We investigated whether the two output pathways of the striatum are differently affected by the novel atypical drug risperidone and the conventional typical antipsychotic drug haloperidol. To this end, changes in mRNA levels of preproenkephalin-A, preproenkephalin-B, and preprotachykinin were determined in the rat striatum following chronic drug treatment for 14 days, using quantitative in situ hybridization. Furthermore, we studied the contribution of the dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT2A antagonist components of risperidone in establishing its effects on neuropeptide mRNA levels in the striatum. The results showed that both risperidone and haloperidol had major effects on the preproenkephalin-A mRNA and thus on the indirect striatal output route, whereas they had minor effects on preproenkephalin-B and preprotachykinin mRNA, contained by the direct output route. When both drugs were administered in the same dose, preproenkephalin-A mRNA was much more elevated by haloperidol than by risperidone. However, when doses of risperidone and haloperidol were modified to attain comparable dopamine D2 receptor occupancy, the drugs had comparable effects on preproenkephalin-A mRNA levels. It was further found that 5-HT2A/C receptor blockade with ritanserin had only modest effects on preproenkephalin-B and preprotachykinin mRNA levels and did not affect preproenkephalin-A mRNA levels. We conclude that risperidone and haloperidol, administered in the same dose, differently affect the striatal output routes. Furthermore, the results suggest that the effects of risperidone on neuropeptide mRNA levels are fully accounted for by its D2 antagonism and that no indication exists for a role of 5-HT2A receptor blockade in this action.

Behavioural pharmacology of glutamate receptors in the basal ganglia

Glutamate receptors play a major role in the transmitter balance within the basal ganglia (BG). N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor stimulation within the striatum acts behaviourally depressant while intrastriatal as well as systemic administration of NMDA receptor-antagonists have rather stimulatory effects despite the different profiles of non-competitive-, competitive NMDA receptor- and glycine site-antagonists. In animal models of Parkinson's disease all these NMDA receptor antagonists counteract parkinsonian symptoms or act synergistically with L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA). The strong locomotion-inducing effect of the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonists is partly, but not fully, mediated by a dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens. Manipulations at alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) receptors produce poor behavioural effects. These, however, are different or even opposed to NMDA receptor mediated effects. Local infusions of AMPA receptor-antagonists into the BG output nuclei have an anti-parkinsonian effect but systemic injections are ineffective. These drugs even counteract the anti-parkinsonian effect of DA agonists and of non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonists as well as the DA releasing effects of the latter drugs. Only few data on the role of metabotropic receptors exist but the different receptor subtypes with different regional distribution represent a promising target for pharmacological interventions.

Quantitative autoradiography reveals regionally selective changes in dopamine D1 and D2 receptor binding in the genetically dystonic hamster

Dystonia has been proposed to be caused by abnormal input from thalamus to premotor cortex due to altered activity of the striatum projecting by way of the globus pallidus and substantia nigra pars reticulata to the thalamus. However, in the case of idiopathic dystonia, i.e. the most common form of dystonia in humans, there is only limited evidence to support such a neuroanatomic concept. In view of the problems of studying the pathophysiology of idiopathic dystonia in patients, genetically determined animal models of idiopathic dystonia may be used as a practical means of studying brain dysfunctions involved in this movement disorder. The genetically dystonic hamster is an animal model of idiopathic dystonia that displays sustained abnormal movements and postures either spontaneously or in response to mild environmental stimuli. Autoradiographic analysis of dopamine D1 receptor density, using the ligand [3H]SCH 23390, revealed significant decreases of D1 binding in several parts of the striatum and substantia nigra pars reticulata of dystonic hamsters. Binding of the D2 ligand [3H]YM-09151-2 was decreased in the dorsomedial caudate-putamen, but increased in nucleus accumbens. In most other sites studied, no significant changes were found in either [3H]SCH 23390 or [3H]YM-09151-2 binding. By studying groups of dystonic hamsters in the absence and presence of dystonic attacks, it was shown that most changes in D1 and D2 binding were not secondary to abnormal movement but rather due to the dystonic condition of the animals. The study provides evidence of altered dopamine receptor binding in dystonia and confirms the concept that basal ganglia dysfunction may be a primary component of dystonia.

Glycine site antagonists abolish dopamine D2 but not D1 receptor mediated catalepsy in rats

Catalepsy--a state of postural immobility (akinesia) with muscular rigidity (rigor)--and reduced locomotion in animals are behavioral deficits showing similarities with symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). The effects of the glycine site antagonists 7-chlorokynurenate and (R)-HA-966 on haloperidol-(D 2 antagonist) and SCH 23390- (D 1 antagonist) induced catalepsy and reduced locomotion are investigated in rats. Both antagonists dose-dependently counteract dopamine D 2 receptor mediated catalepsy but they have no influence on locomotion. Neither 7-chlorokynurenate nor (R)-HA-966 has any effect on dopamine D 1 receptor mediated catalepsy. This finding is surprising, since NMDA receptor antagonists counteract both, dopamine D 1 and D 2 receptor mediated catalepsy. D 1 and D 2 receptors are located on different populations of neurons. Thus, the present findings suggest that these different neuronal populations have different sensitivity for ligands binding at the glycine binding site of the NMDA receptor.

The AMPA receptor antagonist GYKI 52466 reverses the anti-cataleptic effects of the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist CGP 37849

The effects of the AMPA receptor antagonist GYKI 52466 (1-(4-aminophenyl)-4-methyl-7,8-methylenedioxy-5H-2,3-benzodiazepine HCl) on haloperidol-induced catalepsy were tested in drug-naive rats and in rats pretreated with the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist CGP 37849 (DL-(E)-2-amino-4-methyl-5-phosphono-3-pentenoic acid). CGP 37849 (4 mg/kg i.p.) given alone significantly reversed haloperidol-induced catalepsy (0.5 mg/kg i.p.) while GYKI 52466 (4.8 mg/kg i.p.) given alone was without effect. Administration of GYKI 52466 to rats pretreated with CGP 37849 abolished the anticataleptic effects of the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist seen following single administration. Thus the AMPA receptor antagonist prevents behavioural effects induced by a NMDA receptor antagonist in this behavioural model.

Differential effects of lesions of the dorsomedial and dorsolateral caudate-putamen on reaction time performance in rats

In order to investigate the role of the dorsomedial and dorsolateral caudate-putamen (CPu) in movement initiation of rats, we examined the effects of quinolinic acid lesions (30 nmol in 1 microliter) in these striatal subregions in a simple reaction time task. Results show that lesions of the dorsomedial, but not of the dorsolateral CPu increased reaction times. These findings provide further evidence for a functional heterogenity of the CPu and demonstrate an involvement of the dorsomedial CPu in processes related to rapid initiation of responses.