A mouse juvenile or adult slice with preserved functional nigro-striatal dopaminergic neurons

• Published in: Neuroscience 2009-03, Vol.159 (1), p.3-6
• Main Authors: Ammari, R, Lopez, C, Fiorentino, H, Gonon, F, Hammond, C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age Factors; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Axons; Axons - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Biophysics; Cellular Biology; Corpus Striatum; Corpus Striatum - cytology; Dendrites; Dendrites - metabolism; Dopamine; Dopamine - metabolism; dopamine release; Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors - pharmacology; dopaminergic neurons; Electric Stimulation; Electric Stimulation - methods; Electrochemistry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; in vitro; In Vitro Techniques; Life Sciences; Membrane Potentials; Membrane Potentials - drug effects; Membrane Potentials - physiology; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; mouse; Neural Pathways; Neural Pathways - physiology; Neurology; Neurons; Neurons - cytology; Neurons - drug effects; Neurons - physiology; Nomifensine; Nomifensine - pharmacology; Patch-Clamp Techniques; striatum; Substantia Nigra; Substantia Nigra - cytology; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase - metabolism; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 0306-4522; 1873-7544
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.10.051

Abstract The effect of endogenous dopamine on the activity of target neurons recorded with patch clamp or Ca2+ imaging techniques in slices has been studied to date with intra-striatal stimuli. Yet, this approach is severely handicapped by the nonphysiological and nonspecific stimulation of local neurons and fibers within the striatum. We now report a new juvenile and adult mouse slice preparation in which a component of the nigro-striatal dopaminergic pathway is preserved in its entirety, from cell bodies to axon terminals. This tilted parasagittal slice (380–400 μm) just medial to the subthalamic nucleus contains functional nigro-striatal neurons as assessed by morphological examination of tyrosine hydroxylase positive cell bodies and axons, combined with electrochemical assays of dopamine release in the striatum in response to stimulation of the substantia nigra pars compacta. The nigro-striatal slice constitutes a suitable in vitro preparation to determine the impact of endogenously released dopamine on target neurons of the striatum.