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N R Zahniser

Publications and source records attributed to N R Zahniser.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Terbutaline-induced desensitization of polymorphonuclear leukocyte beta 2-adrenergic receptors in young and elderly subjects.

Potential age-related differences in cardiovascular responsiveness and receptor regulation induced by short-term administration of a selective beta 2-adrenergic receptor agonist were investigated. Young (age range, 23 to 31 years) and elderly (age range, 64 to 73 years) healthy subjects were treated with terbutaline (5 mg, three times daily) for 5 days. Similar plasma terbutaline concentrations were achieved in the two age groups. The elderly group had higher baseline plasma norepinephrine concentrations and mean arterial pressures, neither of which were altered by terbutaline administration. During terbutaline treatment, heart rate increased in both age groups while subjects were supine but consistently increased only in the young group while subjects were standing. In both age groups, the density of beta 2-adrenergic receptors on polymorphonuclear leukocyte membranes was reduced by 50% during terbutaline administration and returned to baseline values at similar rates after drug administration was stopped. Isoproterenol-stimulated cyclic adenosine monophosphate accumulation in polymorphonuclear leukocytes from elderly subjects was regulated similarly. These findings suggest that the ability of terbutaline to increase standing heart rate is selectively impaired in the elderly, whereas the ability of polymorphonuclear leukocyte beta 2-adrenergic receptors to down-regulate and to return to baseline values is not.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1992

Differences in dopamine clearance and diffusion in rat striatum and nucleus accumbens following systemic cocaine administration.

Acute cocaine administration preferentially increases extracellular dopamine levels in nucleus accumbens as compared with striatum. To investigate whether a differential effect of cocaine on dopamine uptake could explain this observation, we used in vivo electrochemical recordings in anesthetized rats in conjunction with a paradigm that measures dopamine clearance and diffusion without the confounding effects of release. When a finite amount of dopamine was pressure-ejected at 5-min intervals from a micropipette adjacent to the electrode, transient and reproducible increases in dopamine levels were detected. In response to 15 mg/kg of cocaine-HCl (i.p.), these signals increased in nucleus accumbens, indicating significant inhibition of the dopamine transporter. The time course of the dopamine signal increase paralleled that of behavioral changes in unanesthetized rats receiving the same dose of cocaine. In contrast, no change in the dopamine signal was detected in dorsal striatum; however, when the dose of cocaine was increased to 20 mg/kg, enhancement of the dopamine signal occurred in both brain areas. Quantitative autoradiography with [3H]mazindol revealed that the affinity of the dopamine transporter for cocaine was similar in both brain areas but that the density of [3H]mazindol binding sites in nucleus accumbens was 60% lower than in dorsal striatum. Tissue dopamine levels in nucleus accumbens were 44% lower. Our results suggest that a difference in dopamine uptake may explain the greater sensitivity of nucleus accumbens to cocaine as compared with dorsal striatum. Furthermore, this difference may be due to fewer dopamine transporter molecules in nucleus accumbens for cocaine to inhibit, rather than to a higher affinity of the transporter for cocaine.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

On the selection of mice for haloperidol response and non-response.

Mice have been selected over eight generations for response and non-response to haloperidol-induced catalepsy. The selection has been asymmetric, with significantly faster divergence for the haloperidol non-responder (HNR) line as compared to the haloperidol responder (HR) line. After six generations of selection, the ED50 in the HNR line was 4.3 mg/kg and 0.4 mg/kg in the HR line. Spiroperidol, fluphenazine and trifluoperazine showed a 10-fold or greater discrimination between lines. Raclopride, a specific dopamine D2 antagonist, showed a 7-fold discrimination between lines. Chlorpromazine, thiothixene, (+) butaclamol and cis-flupenthixol showed a 3-4-fold discrimination between lines. The specific D1 antagonist, SCH 23390, was the most potent cataleptogenic agent tested (ED50 = 0.1 mg/kg) and did not discriminate between the lines. The HR and HNR lines did not differ in post-synaptic D2 receptor affinity or density as assessed by quantitative receptor autoradiography and membrane binding assays. However, A-9 somatodendritic receptor density was 80% higher in the HNR line as compared to the HR line.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Potassium channel blockers inhibit D2 dopamine, but not A1 adenosine, receptor-mediated inhibition of striatal dopamine release.

D2 dopamine autoreceptors and A1 adenosine heteroreceptors inhibit the evoked release of dopamine from rat striatum. We examined the role of potassium channels in this modulation by determining the effects of two potassium channel blockers, 4-aminopyridine and tetraethylammonium, on the modulation of electrically stimulated release of endogenous dopamine from rat striatal slices. Maximally effective concentrations of the D2 dopamine receptor agonist N-0437 (10 nM) and of adenosine (50 microM) caused a 30% inhibition of evoked dopamine overflow, and their effects were additive. When coperfused with N-0437, both 4-aminopyridine and tetraethylammonium blocked the inhibition caused by N-0437 in a dose-dependent manner. 4-Aminopyridine was approximately three orders of magnitude more potent than tetraethylammonium, with complete blockade occurring at 3 microM and 1 mM, respectively. Binding experiments confirmed that neither 4-aminopyridine nor tetraethylammonium was a direct-acting D2 dopamine receptor antagonist at the concentration necessary to block the release-modulatory effect of D2 receptor activation. In contrast, the inhibitory modulation produced by adenosine was not affected by 4-aminopyridine (30 microM) or tetraethylammonium (1 mM). These results suggest that D2 dopamine and A1 adenosine receptors inhibit dopamine release in the striatum by different mechanisms. D2 dopamine autoreceptor action appears to involve potassium channels, whereas A1 adenosine receptor action does not.

4-Aminopyridine↗
PubMed1991

Inhibitors of arachidonic acid metabolism: effects on rat striatal dopamine release and uptake.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility that arachidonic acid metabolites mediate D-2 dopamine (DA) receptor inhibition of striatal DA release. The phospholipase A2 inhibitor p-bromophenacyl bromide (BPB; 10 microM) increased electrically evoked overflow of endogenous DA from rat striatal slices and appeared to partially block the modulatory effects of the D-2 DA receptor agonist N-0437 on this release. However, BPB also increased spontaneous DA outflow in a dose-dependent manner. U-73122 (10 microM), another phospholipase A2 inhibitor, decreased evoked overflow of DA, did not affect the action of N-0437 but also increased spontaneous outflow of DA. In contrast, arachidonic acid (30 microM) produced no effects. In slices prelabeled with [3H]DA, exposure to BPB, U-73122 and nordihydroguaiaretic acid (a lipoxygenase inhibitor) significantly increased spontaneous outflow of tritium whereas the cyclooxygenase inhibitors aspirin and indomethacin did not. In low micromolar concentrations, BPB, U-73122 and nordihydroguaiaretic acid, but not aspirin and indomethacin, inhibited uptake of [3H]DA into striatal synaptosomes and binding of [3H]mazindol to the DA transporter. Only U-73122 affected D-2 DA receptor binding. Taken together, these results suggest that it is unlikely that arachidonic acid metabolites mediate the actions of release-modulating D-2 DA autoreceptors in the striatum. However, the results also suggest that certain inhibitors of arachidonic acid metabolism are relatively potent DA uptake blockers/releasers and that this action is unrelated to their inhibition of enzymes in the arachidonic acid cascade. Caution should be used when using BPB and nordihydroguaiaretic acid to study mechanisms involved in DA release, because these compounds may increase DA release and thereby appear to antagonize the effects of activation of presynaptic receptors.

Acetophenones↗
PubMed1990

Arachidonic acid metabolites do not mediate modulation of neurotransmitter release by adenosine in rat hippocampus or striatum.

The possible involvement of arachidonic acid metabolites as mediators of the modulation of neurotransmitter release by adenosine, acetylcholine, and GABA was examined in brain slices of rat hippocampus and striatum. The synaptic modulatory effects of these 3 agents on excitatory transmission in the CA1 region of hippocampus were completely unaffected by a phospholipase inhibitor (p-bromophenacyl bromide, BPB; 10-50 microM), a lipoxygenase inhibitor (nordihydroguaiaretic acid; 5-50 microM), the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (10-20 microM), and a cyclooxygenase/lipoxygenase inhibitor (U53059; 5-10 microM). BPB was also found to be ineffective in altering the modulation of transmission by adenosine in the perforant path, and the adenosine inhibition of electrically stimulated release of endogenous dopamine from striatal slices. Arachidonic acid itself also had no effect on synaptic transmission. While these experiments do not rule out such a role for arachidonic acid or its metabolites in mammalian brain, they suggest that in a number of systems the inhibition of transmitter release must occur through an entirely independent mechanism.

Acetophenones↗
PubMed1990

Regulation of adrenergic receptors in intraocular hippocampal transplants: role of noradrenergic innervation.

Hippocampal tissue transplanted into the anterior chamber of the eye offers a unique system in which development can be studied in the absence of the noradrenergic innervation. This system was used to determine the extent to which noradrenergic innervation regulates the development of adrenergic receptors. In addition to examining single denervated transplants, transplants grown with innervation from the superior cervical ganglia of the host rat or from locus coeruleus cotransplants were also examined to determine whether the source of norepinephrine and extent of innervation in oculo regulate the development and density of adrenergic receptors. In vitro autoradiographic analysis of ligand binding to both alpha 1- and beta-adrenergic receptors with 125I-BE 2254 and 125I-pindolol, respectively, was used to characterize adrenergic receptors in the intraocular transplants. Quantitative analysis of the receptors showed an up-regulation of both alpha 1- and beta-adrenergic receptors in tissue grown in the absence of norepinephrine, but in general there was not a high degree of correlation between norepinephrine content and receptor density. Although high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of catecholamines revealed higher than normal amounts of norepinephrine in hippocampal transplants innervated by the superior cervical ganglia or a locus coeruleus cotransplant, the density of alpha 1 and beta receptors was quite comparable with values found in the literature for normal adult hippocampus. These results suggest that the relationship between receptor number and density of innervation may differ significantly from what is observed in response to pharmacological manipulation of norepinephrine systems in the adult brain.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗
PubMed1990

Effect of aging on alpha-1 adrenergic stimulation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis in various regions of rat brain.

The effects of aging were examined on the ability of alpha-1 adrenergic receptor agonists to stimulate phosphoinositide hydrolysis in three brain regions. Tissue minces of thalamus, cerebral cortex and hippocampus from 3-, 18- and 28-month-old male Fischer 344 rats were prelabeled with [3H]myoinositol. Exposure of these prelabeled minces to phenylephrine and (-)-norepinephrine revealed that accumulation of [3H]inositol phosphates was selectively reduced by 20 to 30% in the thalamus and cerebral cortex of the oldest age group. Analysis of concentration-response and competition binding curves indicated that this decrease was due to diminished agonist efficacy rather than diminished receptor affinity. The reduction in responsiveness to phenylephrine and (-)-norepinephrine in the cerebral cortex and the lack of any changes in the hippocampus parallel previously reported changes in the density of alpha-1 adrenergic receptors with aging. These data indicate that the ability of alpha-1 adrenergic receptor agonists to stimulate phosphoinositide hydrolysis is reduced in some, but not all, brain regions of aged Fischer 344 rats.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗
PubMed1990

Effects of the selective adenosine A2 receptor agonist CGS 21680 on in vitro electrophysiology, cAMP formation and dopamine release in rat hippocampus and striatum.

Evaluation of adenosine A2 receptor function in the mammalian CNS has been impeded by the lack of highly selective A2 receptor agonists. The present investigations describe the actions of a recently introduced A2 selective adenosine agonist, CGS 21680 (2-[p-(carboxyethyl)phenylethylamino]-5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosi ne), on various functional neural responses known to be affected by adenosine. In hippocampal slices, CGS 21680 appeared to be a weak agonist on pre- and postsynaptic measures of electrophysiological activity (putative A1 receptor mediated events) and was ineffective at stimulating the formation of cAMP (a putative A2b mediated response). 5'-N-ethycarboxamidoadenosine (NECA), which is known to act at both A2a and A2b receptors, increased hippocampal cAMP levels 4-fold. In striatal slices, CGS 21680 potently stimulated the formation of cAMP with an EC50 of 110 nM but was ineffective at inhibiting electrically stimulated dopamine release. In contrast, adenosine and cyclohexyladenosine both inhibited the stimulus-evoked overflow of dopamine. These results agree with previous receptor binding studies suggesting that CGS 21680 is a relatively selective agonist at the high affinity adenosine A2a receptor in striatum, with little intrinsic activity at the low affinity A2b site in hippocampus.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1990

Decreased efficacy of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate to elicit calcium mobilization from cerebrocortical microsomes of aged rats.

The effects of aging on the ability of brain microsomes to sequester calcium in response to ATP stimulation and to release calcium in response to inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) stimulation were examined. Calcium uptake and release were compared in microsomal preparations from the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, and cerebellum of 3-, 16-, and 28-month-old male Fischer 344 rats. No age-related differences were found in the ability of brain microsomes to sequester calcium in response to ATP stimulation. A maximally effective concentration of IP3 (1 microM) released approximately 30% of the calcium sequestered by microsomes. This was observed in all brain regions and age groups studied except in the cerebral cortex, where the amount of calcium released by IP3 was reduced by 50% in the oldest age group. Concentration-response curves for IP3 in this brain region from 3- and 28-month-old rats confirmed that the maximally effective concentrations, the EC50 values, and the Hill coefficients did not differ with aging. These data indicate that the efficacy of IP3 is selectively diminished in the cerebral cortex of aged rats and that this age-related change may contribute to the attenuated responsiveness of neurons in this brain region to activation by phosphoinositide-coupled receptors.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1990

Persistence of neurochemical changes in dopamine systems after repeated cocaine administration.

The purpose of this study was to test whether persistent changes consistent with behavioral sensitization occur in dopamine (DA) uptake, release or receptors following repeated cocaine administration. Our neurochemical experiments focused primarily on the striatum; however, quantitative autoradiography was used to measure D-1 and D-2 DA receptors in both cell body and terminal regions of the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways. After receiving eight once-daily injections of cocaine (10 mg/kg, i.p.), rats remained behaviorally sensitized for 1 week. This repeated treatment with cocaine induced two changes consistent with increased dopaminergic transmission. Postsynaptic D-2 DA receptors were selectively increased in nucleus accumbens one day after termination of the repeated cocaine administration; however, these receptors returned to control levels one week after cocaine administration had been terminated. In contrast, amphetamine-stimulated [3H] DA release from striatal slices was increased in rats receiving repeated cocaine injections, but this increase was not apparent until 1 week after the drug administration had been terminated. While neither of these two changes is sufficient to explain cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization, both are consistent with increased dopaminergic responsiveness and may contribute to sensitization.

Amphetamine↗
PubMed1989

[35S]TBPS binding sites are decreased in the colliculi of mice with a genetic predisposition to bicuculline-induced seizures.

Several differences have been found in GABAergic function between the long sleep (LS) and short sleep (SS) mice which were genetically selected for different ethanol-induced sleeptimes, and it has been suggested that these differences may explain their differential ethanol sensitivity. However, these lines also differ in seizure susceptibility, a behavior which may also be mediated by GABAergic pathways. Thus, it is difficult to associate differences in GABA neurochemistry with either of these behaviors, particularly when only two selected lines are used. We measured differences in the density and affinity of the [35S]TBPS binding site on the GABAA receptor/Cl- ionophore complex in discrete brain areas; and in order to determine the relationship between receptor binding and behavioral differences, we included mice from 5 of the LS and SS recombinant inbred strains (LS x SS RI) in addition to mice from the LS and SS lines. [35S]TBPS binding in sagittal brain sections was analyzed by quantitative autoradiography, and the amount of binding differed depending on whether bicuculline was added to inhibit endogenous GABA binding. In the presence of bicuculline, the number of [35S]TBPS sites in SS mice was highest in the colliculi (4.5 +/- 0.5 pmol/mg protein), cerebellum (4.8 +/- 0.6 pmol/mg), hippocampus (3.2 +/- 0.7 pmol/mg) and cortex (2.9 +/- 0.3 pmol/mg). The Bmax was two-fold lower in both superior and inferior colliculi (IC) of LS mice. There were no differences between lines in Bmax in any other area and in Kd values in any area (58 +/- 4.0 nM).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Chemical kindling decreases GABA-activated chloride channels of mouse brain.

The repeated administration of N-methyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxamide (FG 7142) to mice leads to 'chemical kindling', i.e. the development of seizures in response to doses which were initially insufficient to produce convulsive activity. To determine if chemical kindling produced changes in the GABAA receptor/chloride channel complex, we measured the binding of [35S]t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate ([35S]TBPS) to the convulsant site of the complex by quantitative autoradiography. As a measure of chloride channel function, we studied muscimol-stimulated uptake of 36Cl- by isolated brain synaptosomes. Kindling decreased the Bmax of [35S]TBPS binding in cortex but not in cerebellum or hippocampus. Kindling did not alter binding affinities in any of these brain regions. Some mice injected with FG 7142 did not kindle despite receiving the same treatment as kindled mice. These 'injected but not kindled' mice did not display decreased receptor binding in any of these brain areas. Muscimol-stimulated 36Cl- uptake into cortical synaptosomes was also diminished by chemical kindling. These findings suggest that a decrease in functioning GABA-regulated chloride channels may be responsible for chemical kindling with FG 7142.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Region-specific loss of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in rat brain with aging: a quantitative autoradiographic study.

The effects of aging on the density and affinity of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors (alpha 1-ARs) were studied in several circumscribed areas of the Fischer 344 male rat brain. Computer-assisted quantitative autoradiography was used to analyze saturation binding isotherms of [125I]BE-2254, a selective alpha 1-AR antagonist. Significant decreases in receptor density of 15 and 29% were observed in the thalamus at 16-18 and 24-28 months of age, respectively, when compared to 3-4-month-old controls. Progressive declines in receptor density of 24 and 44% were also found in the olfactory tubercle. In the cerebral cortex, a significant 26% loss in receptors occurred only in the oldest age group. No changes were found in any of the other brain areas investigated, including the cerebellum, brainstem, caudate-putamen, and several subregional areas of the hippocampal formation. Kd values ranged from 12 +/- 1.8 pM in the brainstem to 23 +/- 1.6 pM in the thalamus and were not affected by aging in any area examined. It is concluded that the density of alpha 1-ARs in the Fischer 344 rat brain is diminished with aging in a region-specific manner and that loss of these receptors may account for age-related functional deficits only in a few brain areas.

Aging↗
PubMed1989

Persistent augmented dopamine release after acute cocaine requires dopamine receptor activation.

Pretreatment of rats with a single injection of cocaine produces a persistent augmentation of amphetamine-induced [3H]dopamine [( 3H]DA) release measured using the in vitro striatal slice preparation. Cocaine has several actions in the nigrostriatal DA system: it blocks DA uptake and thereby indirectly stimulates DA receptors and it also acts as a local anesthetic. We investigated which of these actions is responsible for the augmented amphetamine-stimulated [3H]DA release by determining whether pretreatment with drugs sharing one or more of these actions also augmented release. Release was increased in striatal slices one week after a single injection of either mazindol, a DA uptake blocker and indirect DA receptor agonist, or apomorphine, a direct-acting receptor agonist, whereas the local anesthetic lidocaine had no effect. The prerequisite of DA receptor stimulation was confirmed by pretreatment prior to the cocaine injection with either a nonselective, a D-1 selective or a D-2 selective DA receptor antagonist. Each of these blocked the long-lasting augmentation of release. From these experiments, we conclude that cocaine indirectly activates both D-1 and D-2 DA receptors to produce the persistent augmentation of striatal amphetamine-stimulated [3H]DA release.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Diazepam sensitizes mice to FG 7142 and reduces muscimol-stimulated 36Cl- flux.

Chronic treatment with benzodiazepine receptor agonists increases sensitivity to the convulsant action of FG 7142, an inverse agonist. We investigated whether or not changes in the number and function of GABA-gated chloride channels accompanies this increased sensitivity. Diazepam, 5 mg.kg-1, was administered to mice daily for five days, and mice were then tested with a single injection of FG 7142, 40 mg.kg-1, at several intervals thereafter. At 24 hours after the last diazepam dose, 10 of 15 mice had clonic seizures following FG 7142 and four of the remaining five had myoclonic jerks. At 48 hours, only one of six mice developed a clonic seizure, and none were observed in mice tested at 96 or 144 hours. Muscimol-stimulated chloride flux was reduced in cortical synaptosomes from diazepam-treated mice at 24 hours but not at 48 or 96 hours. However, the binding of [35S]TBPS, a ligand closely associated with the chloride channel, was unchanged at 24 hours. These results suggest that a transient diminution in GABA-gated chloride channel function; unaccompanied by a reduction in channel number, may underlie the sensitization to the convulsant action of FG 7142 observed after withdrawal from chronic diazepam treatment.

Animals↗