Methamphetamine induces Fos expression in the striatum and the substantia nigra pars reticulata in a rat model of Parkinson's disease

• Published in: Brain research 1998-10, Vol.809 (1), p.107-114
• Main Authors: Ishida, Yasushi, Todaka, Kazunari, Kuwahara, Itsumi, Ishizuka, Yuta, Hashiguchi, Hiroyuki, Nishimori, Toshikazu, Mitsuyama, Yoshio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 6-Hydroxydopamine; Animals; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Benzazepines - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Chemistry - drug effects; Brain Tissue Transplantation; Corpus Striatum - cytology; Corpus Striatum - metabolism; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Disease Models, Animal; Dizocilpine Maleate - pharmacology; Dopamine Agents - pharmacology; Dopamine Antagonists - pharmacology; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists - pharmacology; Female; Fos; Medical sciences; Mesencephalon - transplantation; Methamphetamine; Methamphetamine - pharmacology; Neurology; Neurons - chemistry; Neurons - enzymology; Oxidopamine; Parkinson Disease, Secondary - chemically induced; Parkinson Disease, Secondary - metabolism; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos - biosynthesis; Raclopride; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Dopamine D1 - physiology; Receptors, Dopamine D2 - physiology; Rotation; Salicylamides - pharmacology; Striatum; Substantia Nigra - cytology; Substantia Nigra - metabolism; Substantia nigra pars reticulata; Sympatholytics; Transplant; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase - analysis
• ISSN: 0006-8993; 1872-6240
• DOI: 10.1016/S0006-8993(98)00874-9

In rats with a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion in the nigrostriatal pathway, methamphetamine (3 mg/kg, i.p.) induced Fos-like immunoreactivity (FLI) not only in the striatum on the intact side but also in the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) on the lesioned side. The methamphetamine-induced hyperexpression of FLI in the SNr on the lesioned side was suppressed by pretreatment with either dopamine D 1 receptor antagonist SCH-23390 (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.), D 2 receptor antagonist raclopride (2 mg/kg, i.p.) or N-methyl- d-aspartate receptor antagonist MK-801 (1 mg/kg, i.p.), which was concomitant with inhibition of the methamphetamine-induced rotational behavior of each antagonist. However, the hyperexpression of FLI in the SNr was not suppressed by intrastriatal grafts of fetal ventral mesencephalon which could suppress the methamphetamine-induced rotation completely. These results indicate that opposite hemispheric asymmetries in FLI are induced by methamphetamine in the striatum and the SNr in the 6-OHDA rats. It is suggested that the FLIs in the two discrete sites are activated independently by different mechanisms, and furthermore, different neuronal pathways are involved in the methamphetamine-induced rotation and Fos expression in the SNr of 6-OHDA rats.