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Biomedical subjects

B Scatton

Publications and source records attributed to B Scatton.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Relative selectivity of 6,7-dihydroxy-2-dimethylaminotetralin, N-n-propyl-3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)piperidine, N-n-propylnorapomorphine and pergolide as agonists at striatal dopamine autoreceptors and postsynaptic dopamine receptors.

6,7-Dihydroxy-2-dimethylaminotetralin (TL-99), N-n-propyl-3-(3-hydroxyphenylpiperidine [(+/-)-3-PPP], N-n-propylnorapomorphine and pergolide were evaluated for activity on a number of biochemical parameters that are presumed to indicate an agonist effect at dopamine (DA) autoreceptors (antagonism of the gamma-hydroxybutyrate-induced increase in dopa formation), at postsynaptic DA receptors (elevation of acetylcholine levels) or at both types of DA receptors (diminution of DA synthesis and homovanillic acid levels) in rat striatum. All four agents decreased striatal dopa accumulation (in the presence and in the absence of gamma-hydroxybutyrate). N-propylnorapomorphine, pergolide and TL-99 also reduced homovanillic acid levels and increased acetylcholine concentrations in striatum whereas (+/-)-3-PPP was inactive. The compounds were all more potent in diminishing dopa accumulation caused by gamma-hydroxybutyrate treatment than in increasing acetylcholine levels [(+/-)-3-PPP showing the highest dissociation] indicating a preferential agonist activity at DA autoreceptors. The relative selectivity of the compounds for DA autoreceptors and postsynaptic DA receptors was evaluated further by studying the antagonism by these drugs of the activation of striatal dopa formation (index of both DA autoreceptor and postsynaptic DA receptor stimulation) and tyrosine hydroxylase (index of postsynaptic DA receptor stimulation only) induced by haloperidol or reserpine. The DA agonists were all more potent in antagonizing the neuroleptic-induced increase in DA synthesis than in counteracting the drug-induced activation of tyrosine hydroxylase, with (+/-)-3PPP exhibiting the highest dissociation. The present results indicate that the DA agonists studied possess some selectivity for striatal DA autoreceptors, (+/-)-3-PPP being the most selective in this respect.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1985

Pharmacological, hemodynamic and biochemical mechanisms involved in the blood pressure lowering effects of pergolide, in normotensive and hypertensive dogs.

In pentobarbital-anesthetized normotensive dogs, clonidine (20.0 micrograms/kg i.v.), in contrast to pergolide (30.0 micrograms/kg i.v.), reduced significantly both aortic blood pressure and plasma concentration of norepinephrine. However, in dogs that had been made hypertensive by sectioning the vagi and carotid sinus nerves, pergolide, like clonidine, lowered the blood pressure and plasma concentrations of epinephrine and norepinephrine that were enhanced markedly by deafferentation. Furthermore, in this preparation pergolide decreased the calculated resistance in vascular regions supplied by the upper abdominal aorta and the innervated femoral and renal arteries, but it increased vascular resistance in the denervated hind leg. Pergolide (1.0 microgram/kg) injected intracisternally (i.c.m.) induced a fall in blood pressure of comparable magnitude to that produced by a 30 times higher i.v. dose. Intravenously and i.c.m. administered pergolide lowered blood pressure by acting at distinct anatomical sites inasmuch as i.v. sulpiride blocked the effects of i.v. but not i.c.m. pergolide. The combination of sulpiride plus yohimbine injected i.c.m. was necessary to abolish the decrease in blood pressure evoked by i.c.m. pergolide. In atropinized spinal dogs, i.v. pergolide inhibited the vasoconstriction elicited by electrical stimulation of the lumbar sympathetic chain, an effect which was antagonized by sulpiride. Similarly, pergolide (30.0 micrograms/kg i.v.) like clonidine, reduced the heart rate and coronary venous plasma norepinephrine concentration raised by sustained electrical stimulation of the cardioaccelerator nerve. Sulpiride, but not phentolamine, antagonized this pergolide-induced inhibition of sympathetic nerve function. In chlorisondamine-pretreated dogs, pergolide produced a transient pressor response due to stimulation of postsynaptic vascular alpha-2 adrenoceptors. In conclusion, the failure of i.v. pergolide to decrease aortic blood pressure in pentobarbital-anesthetized normotensive dogs is presumably due to the inability of pergolide to produce a significant inhibition of the vascular sympathetic tone in this preparation. However, in neurogenic hypertensive dogs which are characterized by an elevated level of sympathetic drive, i.v. pergolide reduced blood pressure and aortic plasma norepinephrine concentration. These effects of pergolide are compatible with a DA-2 dopamine receptor stimulation on peripheral sympathetic nerve fibers. In contrast, the antihypertensive effects of i.c.m. pergolide would appear to be mediated by both alpha-2 adrenoceptors and DA-2 dopamine receptors located within the central nervous system.

Anesthesia↗
PubMed1985

Trace amines inhibit the electrically evoked release of [3H]acetylcholine from slices of rat striatum in the presence of pargyline: similarities between beta-phenylethylamine and amphetamine.

Amphetamine (AMPH) inhibits the electrically evoked release of [3H]acetylcholine (ACh) from rat striatal slices through the activation of inhibitory dopamine receptors. Naturally occurring analogs of amphetamine (AMPH) such as beta-phenylethylamine (beta-PEA), tyramine (TYR) and octopamine (OCT) are present in trace amounts in the brain of several species. We have studied in this model, in comparison with AMPH, the effects of beta-PEA, TYR and OCT, in order to explore if their central effects are mediated through an action involving dopaminergic nerve terminals or whether they activate a specific receptor directly. In contrast to the results obtained with AMPH, in the absence of inhibition of monoamine oxidase activity, the three amines beta-PEA (0.1-10 microM), TYR (0.1-10 microM) and OCT (10 microM) did not affect the electrically evoked release of [3H]ACh. On the other hand, in the presence of pargyline (10 microM), the three amines inhibited the electrically evoked release of [3H]ACh and all subsequent experiments were carried out in the presence of pargyline. After pretreatment with reserpine (5 mg/kg s.c., 24 h), which results in a 95% depletion of the endogenous dopamine content, OCT lost its inhibitory effect on [3H]ACh release, whereas beta-PEA and TYR still inhibited the electrically evoked release of [3H]ACh. Reserpine pretreatment (5 mg/kg s.c., 24 h) combined with alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (300 mg/kg i.p., 2 h) reduced endogenous dopamine levels by 99.9%, but, under these conditions, beta-PEA, TYR and AMPH still retained their inhibitory effect on [3H]ACh, release. These inhibitory effects of beta-PEA and AMPH on [3H] ACh release were antagonized by S-sulpiride (0.1 microM). In striatal slices from untreated rats, the inhibition of [3H]ACh released by beta-PEA (30 microM), TYR (30 microM) or AMPH (10 microM) was abolished completely after a 6-hydroxydopamine lesion of the nigro-striatal dopaminergic system. The present data indicate that in order to inhibit the release of [3H]ACh from rat striatal slices in vitro, OCT requires the integrity of vesicular stores of dopamine. On the other hand, beta-PEA, TYR and AMPH are still active when the dopamine levels are depleted, although they require the integrity of the dopaminergic nerve terminal. Inhibition of monoamine oxidase is essential to demonstrate the inhibitory effects of exogenous beta-PEA, TYR and OCT on cholinergic transmission. Our results indicate that a hypothesis concerning a possible physiopathological role of endogenous beta-PEA or TYR should involve concomitant changes in monoamine oxidase activity.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1984

Time course of the changes in striatal acetylcholine levels induced by pergolide and haloperidol after lesion of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathways in the rat.

Lesion of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway in the rat by 6-hydroxydopamine enhances the ability of pergolide to increase striatal acetylcholine levels and prevents the haloperidol-induced decrease in acetylcholine concentrations. This supersensitive response of striatal cholinergic cells is already maximal 6 days after lesion but tends to decrease thereafter. As the time course of the development of the supersensitivity of cholinergic cells differs from that of increased dopamine binding site density, the two are probably not causally related, the former reflecting rather a change occurring beyond the dopamine recognition site.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1984

Autoradiographic localization of muscarinic cholinergic receptors at various segmental levels of the human spinal cord.

Muscarinic cholinergic receptors were localized autoradiographically at different segmental levels of the normal human spinal cord after in vitro labelling using [3H]quinuclidinylbenzilate. The highest densities of muscarinic receptors were found in laminae II (substantia gelatinosa) and IX (motor neurons) of the gray matter. Lower densities of receptors were present in the other laminae and no binding sites were found in the white matter. This pattern of distribution of muscarinic receptors was similar at the cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral levels of the cord. These data suggest that muscarinic receptors may not only take part in motor function but also in the processing of sensory information.

Anterior Horn Cells↗
PubMed1984

Monoamine abnormalities in the brain of scrapie-infected rats.

The effects of the scrapie agent on the levels of monoamines and their metabolites, and on choline acetyltransferase (CAT) activity have been investigated in discrete brain areas in the rat. Two strains of scrapie (8745 from sheep brain and C506 M3 from mice brain) were inoculated. Scrapie-infected rats showed a reduction in the levels of serotonin (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, striatum) and dopamine (striatum) and an elevation of 5-HIAA levels (cerebral cortex, striatum, thalamus). Noradrenaline levels were decreased only in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum of rats infected with the scrapie strain C506 M3. CAT activity remained unchanged. These data suggest that the scrapie agent causes a derangement of noradrenergic, serotonergic and dopaminergic systems in the rat brain.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

In vivo voltammetric measurement of extracellular 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in the denervated striatum after transplantation of mesencephalic raphe neurons.

In vivo differential pulse voltammetry with carbon fiber electrodes was used to monitor extracellular 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels in a serotonergic denervated target area, the striatum, before and after transplantation of mesencephalic raphé nuclei into the lateral ventricle in the rat. The amplitude of the electrochemical signal recorded in the striatum on the transplanted side was found to be comparable to that measured in control striatum whereas the signal measured from the contralateral nontransplanted striatum was negligible. These findings suggest that mesencephalic raphé nuclei transplants establish connections with the host tissue.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Inhibitory GABAergic influence on striatal serotonergic transmission exerted in the dorsal raphe as revealed by in vivo voltammetry.

In vivo differential pulse voltammetry with electrochemically treated carbon fiber microelectrodes has been used to investigate the anatomical nature of the GABAergic influence on striatal serotonergic transmission in the rat. Lesion studies and pharmacological treatments demonstrated that the electrochemical signal recorded at 300 mV in the striatum probably corresponds to the oxidation of extracellularly released 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. Thus, dorsal raphé lesions or systemic administration of alpha-propyldopacetamide, NSD 1015, pargyline and MK212 decreased, whereas reserpine injection increased the amplitude of the signal. Moreover, L-5-hydroxytryptophan administration caused an increase in the signal which was almost completely prevented by pargyline pretreatment. Acute administration of dipropylacetamide (150 mg/kg i.p.) reduced the amplitude of the signal from the striatum, while injection of gamma-acetylenic GABA (200 mg/kg i.p.) was without effect. Repeated (but not acute) treatment with the GABA receptor agonist, progabide (400 mg/kg i.p.b.i.d. for 14 days), led to a pronounced decrease in the amplitude of the signal from the striatum. A similar effect was observed after intradorsal raphé infusion of GABA (10 and 100 micrograms), gamma-vinyl GABA (100 micrograms) and SL 75102 (10 micrograms), a principal metabolite of progabide. In contrast, local injection of the GABA receptor antagonists, bicuculline (1 and 10 micrograms) or R5135 (0.05 microgram), failed to affect the peak amplitude in the striatum. When infused into the dorsal raphé, R5135 (0.05-0.1 microgram) antagonized the diminution of the signal induced by intradorsal raphé infusion of GABA (100 micrograms) or SL 75102 (10 micrograms). Finally, electrolytic lesion of the habenular nuclei completely blocked the diminution of the signal from striatum induced by an intradorsal raphé infusion of GABA (100 micrograms). These results indicate that the inhibitory GABAergic control of striatal serotonergic transmission is exerted at the level of the dorsal raphé cells and depends upon the integrity of the habenulo-dorsal pathway.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

The inhibitory GABAergic influence on striatal serotonergic neurons depends upon the habenulo-raphe pathways.

Bilateral lesion of the habenular nuclei by electrocoagulation or by local ibotenate injection antagonized the ability of the GABA agonist agents progabide and depamide (given systemically) or of GABA (applied locally into the dorsal raphé) to diminish 5-HTP accumulation in the rat striatum. Similarly, cessation of impulse flow in the habenulo-raphé tract prevented the reduction of striatal serotonin synthesis caused by systemic administration of the GABA agonist drugs. These data suggest that the GABAergic inhibition of striatal serotonergic transmission exerted in the dorsal raphé depends upon the habenulo-raphé pathways.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗
PubMed1984

Increase in dopamine and DOPAC levels in noradrenergic terminals after electrical stimulation of the ascending noradrenergic pathways.

The effect of electrical stimulation of the ascending noradrenergic neurons on the formation of dopamine and its major deaminated metabolite dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the hippocampal formation, a predominantly noradrenaline-rich brain area, has been investigated in the rat. Electrical stimulation of the locus coeruleus or ascending noradrenergic pathways caused a pronounced increase in hippocampal dopamine and DOPAC levels which paralleled the increase in free and conjugated dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol levels. The elevation of hippocampal DOPAC was no longer seen after chemical lesion of the noradrenergic pathways. It is suggested that the enhanced formation of dopamine and DOPAC in hopocampal noradrenergic terminals under conditions of increased noradrenergic impulse flow may be connected to an inefficient beta-hydroxylation of dopamine to noradrenaline with a subsequent oxidative deamination of dopamine into its degradation products.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗
PubMed1984

[3H]spiperone binding, dopamine and HVA concentrations in Parkinson's disease and supranuclear palsy.

The density of D2-type dopamine receptors, measured by the binding of [3H]spiperone was normal in the substantia nigra, caudate nucleus and nucleus accumbens of Parkinsonian subjects and above control levels in the putamen, in spite of massive lesions of the dopaminergic neurons. Dopamine levels were reduced in the putamen, caudate nucleus, and nucleus accumbens by 97, 85 and 68%, respectively and by 78 and 93% in the pars compacta and pars reticulata of the substantia nigra. HVA levels were much less affected suggesting that increased activity of the remaining dopaminergic neurons compensated to some extent for the lesions. Neuroleptic treatment and the presence of dementia in the Parkinsonian subjects affected [3H]spiperone binding and dopamine concentrations. Dopamine and HVA levels in the striatum of subjects with supranuclear palsy indicate that the nigrostriatal system was lesioned to the same degree in this disease as in idiopathic Parkinsonism, but spiperone binding was reduced by half in all the structures studies.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Decrease in both choline acetyltransferase activity and EEG patterns in the hippocampal formation of the rat following septal macroelectrode implantation.

A decrease in both choline acetyltransferase (CAT) activity and theta (theta) rhythm were observed in the hippocampal formation of rats implanted with a macroelectrode in the dorsomedial part of the septum. The decrease in CAT activity and in theta occurred simultaneously and in parallel, and there was no instance where the two parameters were uncoupled. These observations suggest that a common neurophysiological mechanism is involved in both CAT activity control and theta rhythm production in the hippocampal formation. From a methodological point of view, these observations should be borne in mind in septohippocampal investigations using septal electrode implantation procedures.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Hypophysectomy fails to affect the supersensitivity of striatal dopamine target cells induced by prolonged haloperidol treatment.

The influence of hypophysectomy on biochemical indices of striatal dopamine target cell supersensitivity induced by prolonged haloperidol treatment was investigated in the rat. Hypophysectomy itself did not modify dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) levels but slightly enhanced acetylcholine concentrations in the striatum. Hypophysectomy failed to affect the ability of haloperidol, apomorphine and pergolide to alter these biochemical parameters after acute administration. Prolonged administration of haloperidol (by means of osmotic minipumps delivering 2.5 micrograms/h) for 14 days caused a decrease in DOPAC and an increase in acetylcholine levels in the striatum during withdrawal; these effects were of a similar magnitude in sham-operated and hypophysectomized rats. Moreover, there was a similar degree of tolerance to the elevation of DOPAC and to the diminution of acetylcholine concentrations in striatum in response to challenge with haloperidol during withdrawal in sham-operated and hypophysectomized animals. Finally, a similar supersensitive biochemical response to pergolide (decrease in DOPAC and increase in acetylcholine levels) was observed in both hypophysectomized and sham-operated animals after prolonged haloperidol treatment. These data suggest that hypophyseal factors do not affect the development of striatal dopamine target cell supersensitivity caused by prolonged haloperidol treatment.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1984

Effects of cyclo (Leu-Gly) on neurochemical indices of striatal dopaminergic supersensitivity induced by prolonged haloperidol treatment.

The effects of a prolonged treatment with cyclo (Leu-Gly) and/or haloperidol on biochemical parameters indicative of striatal dopamine target cell supersensitivity have been investigated in the rat. When given acutely, cyclo (Leu-Gly) (2 mg/kg sc) did not affect striatal homovanillic acid, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and acetylcholine levels both under basal conditions or after acute haloperidol (1 mg/kg ip) treatment. When given concomitantly with haloperidol (infused by means of osmotic minipumps at a rate of 2.5 micrograms/h sc) for 14 days, cyclo (Leu-Gly)(2 mg/kg sc once daily) failed to prevent the fall of striatal dopamine metabolites observed 2 days following withdrawal and the tolerance to the elevation of dopamine metabolites which occurs in response to challenge with the neuroleptic during withdrawal. Prolonged treatment with cyclo (Leu-Gly) also failed to affect the tolerance to the decrease of striatal acetylcholine levels which occurs under chronic haloperidol treatment. These data suggest that the mechanism whereby cyclo (Leu-Gly) inhibits the development of neuroleptic-induced dopaminergic supersensitivity does not involve an action of the peptide on nigro-striatal dopaminergic and striatal cholinergic neurons and is probably exerted distally to both dopaminergic and cholinergic synapses.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗
PubMed1984

Autoradiographic localization of dopamine receptors in the spinal cord of the rat using [3H]-N-propylnorapomorphine.

Dopamine receptors were localized autoradiographically in the rat spinal cord after in vitro labelling using 3H-N-propylnorapomorphine (NPA). The highest densities of 3H-NPA binding sites were found in the substantia gelatinosa and in a zone of the grey matter immediately ventral to the dorsal corticospinal tract. Other areas of the grey matter presented only moderate or low receptor densities while no 3H-NPA binding sites could be found in the white matter. The localization of 3H-NPA binding sites is compatible with a role for spinal cord dopamine in the processing of sensory information.

Animals↗