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PubMed1978

[Features of the development of the dendrites of differentiating pyriform cerebellar cortex neurons in mammals and man].

Pecularities of development of the differentiating piriform neuron cerebellum cortex dendrite system in the mammals and in man were studied with light and electron microscopy. Three consequent stages are involved in the process: the formation of a dilated portion of apical (supranuclear) cytoplasm with an increased amount of organelles; the formation of a temporary apical cytoplasmic mitre (cone); the development of the dendrite system occurring on the background of reduction of this temporary cytoplasmic formation. In the course of differentiation, a distinct change of the dendrite cytoplasm contents from reticular to tubular ones takes place.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Habituation of the head-shake response induces changes in brain matrix metalloproteinases-3 (MMP-3) and -9.

Habituation is defined as a decrease in responsiveness to a repeatedly presented stimulus. The head-shake response (HSR) demonstrates several fundamental properties of habituation including sensitivity to the frequency and intensity of stimulation, and spontaneous recovery. This response shows behavioral plasticity; however the neural plasticity presumed to underlie this behavioral phenomenon has only recently been investigated. The present study initially compared male and female rats and noted equivalent habituation and spontaneous recovery. A second experiment utilized female rats to test the hypothesis that habituation induces changes in neural plasticity. At inter-session intervals (ISIs) of 5 min, 2, 6, and 24 h following HSR habituation independent groups of rats received a second habituation experience, then tissue samples were immediately collected from hippocampal, prefrontal and piriform cortices, and cerebellum. Western blots indicated significant elevations in the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) in hippocampal, prefrontal and piriform cortices at a delay interval of 2 h, and in the prefrontal cortex at 24 h in habituated rats. Increases in active and pro MMP-9 activity were measured by zymography in the hippocampus of habituated rats over yoked controls. Decreases in active MMP-9 activity were seen in the prefrontal cortex, and in pro MMP-9 in the piriform cortex, of habituated as compared with yoked control rats. No changes in MMP-3 or MMP-9 were observed in the cerebellum, and no changes in MMP-2 were seen in any of the four structures examined. These results suggest that habituation of the HSR produced elevations in MMP-3 expression in three of the four structures presently examined, accompanied by increased MMP-9 activity in the hippocampus and decreases in the prefrontal cortex. However, cues present in the test environment appear to have provoked elevations in MMP-3 and -9 independent of those accompanying habituation.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2000

Effects of chronic 17beta-estradiol treatment on the serotonin 5-HT(1A) receptor mRNA and binding levels in the rat brain.

Acute 17beta-estradiol treatment had been shown to downregulate the 5-HT(1A) receptor mRNA expression in limbic areas of the female rat brain. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of chronic 17beta-estradiol treatment on 5-HT(1A) receptor mRNA expression and 5-HT(1A) receptor binding in ovariectomized female rats. Using in situ hybridization histochemistry, no alterations were found on the 5-HT(1A) receptor mRNA levels after the estradiol treatment (2 weeks). Radioligand autoradiographic studies using the selective 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonist [(3)H]WAY-100635 revealed reduced receptor binding in the amygdala, hippocampus, perirhinal cortex, and motor cortex after estradiol treatment, whereas no changes were observed in the piriform or retrosplenial cortex. Thus, the previous findings together with the present results indicate that estradiol-induced alterations in 5-HT(1A) receptor mRNA expression appears within hours, but diminishes with chronic treatment when significant changes on the receptor-protein level are apparent. The effects of estradiol treatment on the 5-HT(1A) receptor binding in the limbic areas suggest that estrogen can modulate functions such as learning, memory, cognition, emotional processing, and social behavior. Consequently, estradiol modulation of 5-HT(1A) receptor circuits might be a possible pathway for the estrogen influence in the expression of psychiatric and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, affective disorders, and schizophrenia.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Unilateral cortical application of interleukin-1beta (IL1beta) induces asymmetry in fos, IL1beta and nerve growth factor immunoreactivity: implications for sleep regulation.

Unilateral injection of interleukin-1 beta (IL1beta) into the somatosensory cortex enhances EEG slow wave activity ipsilaterally during non-rapid eye movement sleep [Yasuda, T., Yoshida, H., Garcia-Garcia, F., Kay, D., Krueger, J.M., 2005. Interleukin-1beta has a role in cerebral cortical state-dependent electroencephalographic slow-wave activity. Sleep 28, 177-184]. We show that a similar unilateral microinjection of IL1beta (10 ng) into layer VI or onto the surface of the primary somatosensory cortex induced increases in the neuronal activity marker, Fos, relative to the contralateral side that received saline or heat-inactivated IL1beta. When IL1beta was microinjected into layer VI, increases in Fos-immunoreactive nuclei were evident in layers II, III and VI of the somatosensory cortex and connected cortical regions, such as the endopiriform, secondary somatosensory, piriform and prefrontal cortex. Asymmetrical increases in Fos were also observed in subcortical regions, such as the reticular thalamus, which receives a main cortical projection, and hypothalamic regions implicated in sleep regulation, such as the ventrolateral preoptic area and dorsal median preoptic nucleus. Fos activation was not observed in many other brain regions. In the reticular thalamus and somatosensory cortex, the number of IL1beta-immunoreactive glial cells increased. Further, the number of NGF-immunoreactive cells in the primary somatosensory cortex and magnocellular preoptic nucleus increased on the IL1beta-injected side. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that sleep is initiated within the cortex after the local activation of specific cytokines and that whole organism sleep is coordinated via cortical connections with the subcortical sites.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Modifications of 5-HT4 receptor expression in rat brain during memory consolidation.

Pharmacological evidence indicates a specific role of 5-HT(4) receptors on memory function. These receptors are members of G-protein-coupled 7-transmembrane domain receptor superfamily, are positively coupled to adenylyl cyclase, and are heterogeneously located in some structures important for memory, such as the hippocampus and cortical regions. To further clarify 5-HT(4) receptors' role in memory, the expression of these receptors in passive (P3) untrained and autoshaping (A3) trained (3 sessions) adult (3 months) and old (P9 or A9; 9 months) male rats was determined by autoradiography. Adult trained (A3) rats showed a better memory respect to old trained (A9). Using [(3)H] GR113808 as ligand (0.2 nM specific activity 81 Ci/mmol) for 5-HT(4) receptor expression, 29 brain areas were analyzed, 16 areas of A3 and 17 of A9 animals displayed significant changes. The medial mammillary nucleus of A3 group showed diminished 5-HT(4) receptor expression, and in other 15 brain areas of A3 or 10 of A9 animals, 5-HT(4) receptors were increased. Thus, for A3 rats, 5-HT(4) receptors were augmented in olfactory lobule, caudate putamen, fundus striatum, CA2, retrosplenial, frontal, temporal, occipital, and cingulate cortex. Also, 5-HT(4) receptors were increased in olfactory tubercule, hippocampal CA1, parietal, piriform, and cingulate cortex of A9. However, hippocampal CA2 and CA3 areas, and frontal, parietal, and temporal cortex of A9 rats, expressed less 5-HT(4) receptors. These findings suggest that serotonergic activity, via 5-HT(4) receptors in hippocampal, striatum, and cortical areas, mediates memory function and provides further evidence for a complex and regionally specific regulation over 5-HT receptor expression during memory formation.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2000

Electroshocks delay seizures and subsequent epileptogenesis but do not prevent neuronal damage in the lithium-pilocarpine model of epilepsy.

Electroconvulsive therapy, which is used to treat refractory major depression in humans increases seizure threshold and decreases seizure duration. Moreover, the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor induced by electroshocks (ECS) might protect hippocampal cells from death in patients suffering from depression. As temporal lobe epilepsy is linked to neuronal damage in the hippocampus, we tested the effect of repeated ECS on subsequent status epilepticus (SE) induced by lithium-pilocarpine and leading to cell death and temporal epilepsy in the rat. Eleven maximal ECS were applied via ear-clips to adult rats. The last one was applied 2 days before the induction of SE by lithium-pilocarpine. The rats were electroencephalographically recorded to study the SE characteristics. The rats treated with ECS before pilocarpine (ECS-pilo) developed partial limbic (score 2) and propagated seizures (score 5) with a longer latency than the rats that underwent SE alone (sham-pilo). Despite this delay in the initiation and propagation of the seizures, the same number of ECS- and sham-pilo rats developed SE with a similar characteristic pattern. The expression of c-Fos protein was down-regulated by repeated ECS in the amygdala and the cortex. In ECS-pilo rats, c-Fos expression was decreased in the piriform and entorhinal cortex and increased in the hilus of the dentate gyrus. Neuronal damage was identical in the forebrain areas of both groups, while it was worsened by ECS treatment in the substantia nigra pars reticulata, entorhinal and perirhinal cortices compared to sham-pilo rats. Finally, while 11 out of the 12 sham-pilo rats developed spontaneous recurrent seizures after a silent period of 40+/-27 days, only two out of the 10 ECS-pilo rats became epileptic, but after a prolonged latency of 106 and 151 days. One ECS-pilo rat developed electrographic infraclinical seizures and seven did not exhibit any seizures. Thus, the extensive neuronal damage occurring in the entorhinal and perirhinal cortices of the ECS-pilo rats seems to prevent the establishment of the hyperexcitable epileptic circuit.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Circadian rhythms in catecholamine metabolites and cyclic nucleotide production.

Circadian rhythms in noradrenergic (NE) and dopaminergic (DA) metabolites and in cyclic nucleotide production were measured in discrete regions of rat brain. A circadian rhythm was found in the concentration of the NE metabolite, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), in the hippocampus. No MHPG rhythm was found in frontal, cingulate, parietal, piriform, insular or temporal cortex, or in hypothalamus. Circadian rhythms in the concentration of the NE metabolite, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG), occurred in occipital and parietal cortex and hypothalamus, with no rhythm observable in temporal or insular cortex, hippocampus, pons-medulla or cerebellum. The 24-hr mean concentration of MHPG varied 3.5-fold, highest in cingulate and lowest in parietal, temporal and occipital cortex. The 24-hr mean concentration of DHPG varied 6-fold, highest in hypothalamus and lowest in parietal cortex. Circadian rhythms in the concentration of the DA metabolite, homovanillic acid (HVA), were found in olfactory tubercle, amygdala and caudate-putamen, but not in nucleus accumbens. A circadian rhythm in the concentration of the DA metabolite, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), occurred in nucleus accumbens, but not in olfactory tubercle or caudate-putamen. The mean 24-hr concentration of HVA was highest in caudate-putamen, intermediate in nucleus accumbens, and lowest in olfactory tubercle and amygdala. The mean 24-hr concentration of DOPAC was highest in nucleus accumbens and lower in olfactory tubercle and caudate-putamen. Circadian rhythms were found in the concentration of cyclic GMP (cGMP) in all regions measured except parietal cortex. The mean 24-hr concentration varied 128-fold, highest in nucleus accumbens, frontal poles, and hypothalamus and lowest in cingulate cortex. Circadian rhythms in cyclic AMP (cAMP) concentration were found in piriform, temporal, occipital, cingulate, and parietal cortex, amygdala and nucleus accumbens. No rhythms were found in frontal or insular cortex, hypothalamus, hippocampus, caudate-putamen or olfactory tubercle. The 24-hr mean cAMP concentration varied 4-fold, highest in parietal cortex and lowest in caudate-putamen and amygdala. Norepinephrine metabolites and dopamine metabolites were rhythmic in few regions. It is, therefore, unlikely that the rhythmicity measured in adrenergic receptors is, in general, a response to rhythmic changes in adrenergic transmitter release. The putative second messenger response systems, especially cGMP, were more often rhythmic. The rhythms in cGMP are parallel in form and region to those in the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor and may act as 2nd messenger for that receptor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Attenuation of c-Fos basal expression in the cerebral cortex of aged rat.

Cellular immediate early genes (IEG) such as c-fos were originally defined as rapid and transient inducible gene, but their products show a varying degree of basal expression in the brain of normal animals, suggesting that they also play a role in the transcriptional control under physiological conditions. In this study, we used an immunohistochemical method to investigate changes in the number of c-Fos-immunoreactive cells in the cerebral cortex and hippocampal formation of the aged rat. There was a remarkable decrease in the number of c-Fos-immunoreactive cells in the piriform and temporal cortex of aged rats compared with young adult rats. There was a slight decrease in the number of c-Fos-immunoreactive cells in the parietal cortex of aged rat. In the hippocampal complex, there were also decreases in the number of c-Fos-immunoreactive cells in aged rat; the degree of decrease was most prominent in the dentate gyrus. This report provides the first morphological evidence for decreased levels of basal c-Fos expression in some cerebral cortical areas and in the hippocampal complex of aged rats.

Aging↗
PubMed1989

[Effects of extirpation of the piriform area on the ultrastructure of the adrenal cortex].

We have performed a study about the ultra-structure of the suprarenal cortex in 40 male Wistar rats whose weights oscillated between 200 and 250 grams. The animals were divided in three groups: control group (untouched animals or with simulated operation); experimental group I (animals sacrificed a month after the operation); and experimental group II (animals sacrificed two months after the operation). In the experimental animals, we have performed the bilateral extirpation of the piriform area. We have found a progressive decrease of the lipidic droplets (and of the steroidogenesis) and an increase in the mitochondrial alterations in the cells of fasciculate layer, and also in the cells of reticular layer; what indicates the existence of a decrease in the elaboration of cortex-suprarenal hormones. These results suggest us that the piriform area stimulates the elaboration of hormones by the suprarenal cortex.

Adrenal Cortex↗
PubMed1996

Comparison of the patterns of altered cerebral glucose utilisation produced by competitive and non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonists.

Recent studies indicate that competitive and non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonists can be readily distinguished by their effects on local cerebral glucose utilisation (1CGU). In the present study we compare the effects of the novel NMDA antagonist, (+)-1-methyl-1phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (FR115427) on 1CGU, comparing its metabolic profile with that of the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, dizocilpine (MK801) and of the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist CGS19755, using the 2-deoxyglucose metabolic mapping approach. Local cerebral glucose utilisation was measured in 80 anatomically discrete regions of the conscious rat brain using [14C]2-deoxyglucose quantitative autoradiography. Studies were initiated 10 min after the administration of FR115427 (0.1-3 mg/kg i.v.; n = 20), dizocilpine (0.03-0.3 mg/kg; n = 15), CGS19755 (1-30 mg/kg; n = 15) or saline (2 ml/kg; n = 5). Dizocilpine produced characteristic alterations in 1CGU with widespread increases in 1CGU in primary olfactory and limbic areas while reducing 1CGU in somatosensory and motor cortex. FR115427 produced a pattern of altered 1CGU which was broadly similar to that elicited by dizocilpine with increases in 1CGU in the pontine nuclei, presubiculum and hippocampus and reductions in somatosensory and motor cortex and within components of the auditory system. However, FR115427 was approximately 30-fold less potent than dizocilpine in this regard. In limbic structures, the effects of FR115427 were less pronounced than those produced by dizocilpine. Increases in 1CGU of 62-98% were found in retrosplenial, piriform and entorhinal cortex of dizocilpine-treated rats whereas these areas appeared relatively unaffected following FR115427 administration. A comparison of the pattern of metabolic response produced by each of these agents was performed by constructing a hierarchy of regional responsiveness using the f statistic: while focal differences in the metabolic profiles of dizocilpine and FR115427 were evident, a plot of the regional f values for dizocilpine and FR115427 revealed a strong overall relationship between the metabolic responses with a Pearson's product moment correlation of 0.78. In contrast, the correlation between the patterns produced by CGS19755 and that for dizocilpine or FR115427 was poor (r = 0.28 and 0.5 respectively).

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Modifications in the cortical regional distribution of choline acetyltransferase, somatostatin and somatostatin binding sites in the normal rat and following lesion of the nucleus basalis.

The regional distribution of choline acetyltransferase activity, somatostatin levels and 125I-CGP 23996 (a somatostatin agonist analog) specific binding sites in 10 separate zones of the cerebral cortex was analyzed. The study was performed in normal rats as well as 15 days after unilateral excitotoxic lesion of the nucleus basalis. A significant correlation was found in the controls between the regional distribution of choline acetyltransferase activity and somatostatin concentrations, both most highly concentrated in the piriform and entorhinal cortex. In contrast, the regional density of 125I-CGP 23996 binding sites correlated neither with choline acetyltransferase activity nor with somatostatin levels. Unilateral lesions of the basal forebrain decreased choline acetyltransferase activity in the frontal and parietal cortex, while 125I-CGP 23996 binding decreased in frontal and occipital regions. No decrease in somatostatin content was observed. The results suggest that, in rats, cortical somatostatin receptors could be associated with cholinergic afferents from the nucleus basalis in the frontal cortex only.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Extracellular matrix organization in various regions of rat brain grey matter.

Previous studies revealed the concentration of extracellular matrix proteoglycans in the so-called perineuronal nets on the one hand and in certain zones of the neuropil on the other. This nonhomogeneous distribution suggested a non-random chemical and spatial heterogeneity of the extracellular space. In the present investigation, regions dominated by one of both distribution patterns, i.e. piriform and parietal cortex, reticular thalamic nucleus, medial septum/diagonal band complex and cerebellar nuclei, were selected for correlative light and electron microscopic analysis. The labelling was performed by the use of the N-acetylgalactosamine-binding plant lectin Wisteria floribunda agglutinin visualized by peroxidase staining and additionally by photoconversion of red carbocyanine fluorescence labelling for electron microscopy. The intense labelling of the neuropil of a superficial piriform region, presumably identical with sublayer Ia, was confined to a fine meshwork spreading over the extracellular space between non-myelinated axons, dendrites and glial profiles. In the reticular thalamic nucleus the neuronal cell bodies were embedded in zones of labelled neuropil. In contrast to these patterns, the labelled extracellular matrix in different cortical layers and in the other subcortical regions was concentrated in perineuronal nets as large accumulations at surface areas of the neuronal perikarya and dendrites and the attached presynaptic boutons. Astrocytic processes usually were separated from the neuronal surface by the interposed extracellular material. Despite a great variability, the width of the extracellular space containing the labelled matrix components in all perineuronal nets appeared to be considerably larger than that in the labelled zones of neuropil and the non-labelled microenvironment of other neurons. Our results support the view that differences expressed in topographical and spatial peculiarities of the extracellular matrix constituents are related to neuron-type and system-specific functional properties.

Acetylgalactosamine↗
PubMed1993

Long-term increase in protein kinase C-gamma and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor expression in the cerebral cortex of amygdala-kindled rats--a quantitative immunocytochemical study.

Kindling is an animal model for epilepsy in which repeated application of an electrical stimulus to brain pathways results in an epileptic focus. The animal holds a permanent state of hyperexcitability to the stimulus for the rest of its life. Understanding the cellular and molecular processes underlying hyperexcitability could provide insight into epileptogenesis. Furthermore, it could elucidate cellular and molecular bases of synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system. In the present study the long-term effect of a kindled focus in the amygdala on the gamma-isoform of protein kinase C and the muscarinic cholinergic receptor as cellular messengers was evaluated in the cerebral cortex of rats. Following an average of 10 bilaterally generalized seizures kindling stimulation was terminated and rats were left undisturbed for approximately three months. Brains were processed by immunocytochemistry using monoclonal antibodies against protein kinase C-gamma and muscarinic cholinergic receptor protein. Digital image analysis of sections through the entire forebrain revealed an increase in optical density of both protein kinase C-gamma and the muscarinic cholinergic receptor in the piriform and entorhinal cortex of the hemisphere contralateral to the stimulation site in kindled rats. However, on the ipsilateral side no change was observed in comparison with electrode implanted nonkindled control rats. The observed increase in expression of muscarinic cholinergic receptor protein and a component of the phosphoinositide second messenger system (protein kinase C-gamma) located in specific areas of the cerebral cortex in kindled rats could serve as a basis for the permanent state of hyperexcitability in these rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amygdala↗
PubMed1992

Immunohistochemical markers in rat cortex: co-localization of calretinin and calbindin-D28k with neuropeptides and GABA.

Calretinin and calbindin-D28k are two calcium-binding proteins which are present in separate populations of interneurons in cerebral cortex and hippocampus. To identify these cells with the populations expressing different transmitters, two-colour immunofluorescence was done with antibodies against the calcium-binding proteins plus antibodies against vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), somatostatin (SRIF), or gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In neocortex, calretinin is partially co-localized with VIP (especially in the deeper layers) and is not co-localized with SRIF. Calbindin is largely co-localized with SRIF, and not with VIP. Both calretinin and calbindin are partially co-localized with GABA. In piriform and entorhinal cortex, the patterns resemble those in neocortex. In hippocampus, preliminary data indicate greater heterogeneity, especially in the ventral part; at least a few double-positive cells are present for every combination of calcium-binding protein and neuropeptide. These results expand the known diversity of local-circuit neurons in cortical regions.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

The distribution of beta-amyloid precursor protein in rat cortex after systemic kainate-induced seizures.

In the current study we employed immunohistochemical techniques to identify neuronal and glial cells in specific brain areas that modulate beta-amyloid precursor protein (betaAPP) synthesis following kainate-induced seizures. In addition, antibodies directed against the FOS protein, which is generated by activation of the immediate early gene c-fos and is temporally associated with ongoing seizure activity, were used to identify transneuronal pathways activated after kainate-induced seizures (KIS). It was therefore possible to correlate the appearance of activated neuronal pathways identified by FOS-like immunoreactivity (LI) and PAPP-LI in alternate sections. In addition, we employed immunohistochemical procedures to characterize morphological changes in neuronal and glial cells following kainate-induced seizures in both young and adult rats. Our results demonstrate a specific pattern of FOS-LI induced by kainate injection. In older animals FOS-LI spreads out from limbic cortical regions, including the piriform and entorhinal cortex, to other cortical regions, including the parietal and somatosensory cortices. Seizures were associated with decrease in neuronal betaAPP-LI in both young and adult rats, whereas glial betaAPP-LI markedly increased. The increase in betaAPP-LI glia was far more extensive in adult than in young rats and the anatomical distribution of betaAPP-LI glia was grossly correlated with FOS-LI. The spread of betaAPP-LI follows seizure-activated transsynaptic pathways. It is likely that the sequence of events following kainate injection is initially triggered by c-fos gene expression, which is rapidly followed by modulation of betaAPP synthesis in parallel to, or preceding, morphological changes of both microglia and astrocytes. The present study, which extensively characterized early changes in c-fos expression and betaAPP-LI in glia following kainate-induced seizures, is a potentially useful animal model for the in vivo study of numerous facets of betaAPP synthesis and the possible role of such processes in Alzheimer's disease.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2000

Cortical localization of dopamine D4 receptors in the rat brain--immunocytochemical study.

Using polyclonal antibody against dopamine D4 receptor we investigated cortical distribution of D4 receptors, with the special emphasis on regions of the prefrontal cortex. Prefrontal cortex is regarded as a target for neuroleptic drugs, and engaged in the regulation of the psychotic effects of various substances used in the experimental modeling of schizophrenia. Western blot analysis performed on samples from the rat cingulate, parietal, piriform cortices and also striatum revealed that antibody recognized one main band of approximately 40 kD, which corresponds to the predicted molecular weight of D4 receptor protein. In immunocytochemical studies we found D4 receptor-positive neurons in all regions of prefrontal cortex (cingulate, agranular/insular and orbital cortices) and all cortical regions adjacent to prefrontal cortex, such as frontal, parietal and piriform cortex. Substantial number of D4 receptor-positive neurons has also been observed within the striatum and nucleus accumbens. In general, a clear stratification of the D4 receptor-positive neurons was observed in the cortex with the highest density seen in layers II/III and V/VI. D4 immunopositive material was also found in the dendritic processes, particularly clearly visible in the layer II/III. At the cellular level D4 receptor immunoreactivity was seen predominantly on the periphery of the cell body, but a certain population of neurons with clear cytoplasmatic localization was also identified. In addition to cortical distribution of D4 receptor-positive neurons we tried also to define types of neurons expressing D4 receptor protein. In double-labeling experiments, D4 receptor protein was found in nonphosphorylated neurofilament H-positive, calbindin-D28k-positive, as well as parvalbumin-positive cells. Since, used proteins are markers of certain populations of pyramidal neurons and GABA-ergic interneurons, respectively, our data indicate that D4 receptors are located on cortical pyramidal output neurons and their dendritic processes as well as on interneurons. Above localization indicates that D4 receptors are not only directly influencing excitability of cortical inter- and output neurons but also might be engaged in dendritic spatial and temporal integration, required for the generation of axonal messages. Additionally, our data show that D4 receptors are widely distributed throughout the cortex of rat brain, and that their cortical localization exceeds the localization of dopaminergic terminals.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Effect of ammonia on brain serotonin metabolism in relation to function in the portacaval shunted rat.

Four weeks following portacaval anastomosis (PCA) in the rat, severe liver atrophy, sustained hyperammonemia, and increased plasma and brain tryptophan are observed. Administration of ammonium acetate (NH4Ac) to rats with PCA precipitates severe signs of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) (loss of righting reflex progressing to loss of consciousness and ultimately deep coma). To evaluate the relationship between the deterioration of neurological status in HE and serotonin (5-HT) metabolism, the levels of 5-HT, its precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan, and its major metabolite 5-hydroxy-indole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA) were measured by HPLC with ion-pairing and electrochemical detection in three well-defined areas of the cerebral cortex: anterior cingulate, piriform and entorhinal, and frontoparietal; as well as in the caudate-putamen, the raphe nuclei, and the locus ceruleus in rats with PCA at different stages of HE, before and after injection of NH4Ac, as well as in sham-operated controls. The results demonstrate increased 5-HIAA/5-HT ratios after PCA and NH4Ac loading, suggesting increased 5-HT turnover in the brains of these animals. However, these changes do not appear to be related to the precipitation of coma as no significant difference in 5-HT turnover was observed between precoma and coma stages of HE. Increased 5-HT turnover in brain of shunted rats may be related to early symptoms of HE such as altered sleep patterns and disorders of motor coordination.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗