Striatal single-unit responses to amphetamine and neuroleptics in freely moving rats

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

Volume

17

Issue

1

Publisher

Elsevier

Publication Date

1993

First Page

1

Last Page

12

Abstract

Single-unit recordings from 50 striatal neurons in freely moving rats revealed generally low activity (/sec) during resting behavior and movement-related excitations in most (n = 36) neurons. While activating behavior, d-amphetamine (1.0 mg/kg, sc) usually excited and inhibited motor- and nonmotor-related neurons, respectively, relative to resting baseline firing rates. A behavioral clamping analysis, which controlled for neuronal effects secondary to behavior, yielded results suggesting a primary, amphetamine-induced excitation of striatal motor-related neurons. Haloperidol (0.1–1.0 mg/kg) strongly inhibited behavior and neuronal activity when injected 30 min after amphetamine. Clozapine (5.0–30.0 mg/kg) inhibited only selected behaviors, but reliably produced haloperidol-like reversals of amphetamine-induced neuronal excitations. A literature review revealed that the neuronal results in behaving animals differ markedly from the inhibitory striatal responses to amphetamine and the excitatory responses to dopamine antagonists often found in immobilized or anesthetized rat preparations. These contrasting, preparation-dependent results support a model based on drug interactions with a proposed neuromodulatory function of striatal dopamine, which is to facilitate or attenuate the activity of neurons receiving, respectively, substantial, or little excitatory afferent input.

Comments

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