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Differential effect of subthalamic nucleus ablation on dopamine D1 and D2 agonist-induced rotation in
J J Anderson1, T N Chase, T M Engber
1Experimental Therapeutics Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Abstract:
The effect of unilateral subthalamic nucleus ablation on rotation in response to dopamine D1 and D2 agonists was examined in rats with a unilateral 6-OHDA lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway. Four to five weeks following subthalamic nucleus lesion, D2 agonist-induced rotation was reduced in subthalamic nucleus-lesioned rats relative to sham controls, although no such reduction in D1 agonist-induced circling occurred. However, 1-2 weeks following subthalamic nucleus lesion marked reductions occurred in both D1 and D2 agonist-induced rotation in subthalamic nucleus lesioned rats compared to sham controls. These results suggest that the subthalamic nucleus contributes primarily to the expression of D2-mediated motor behaviors, although ablation of the subthalamic nucleus may induce certain time-dependent compensatory mechanisms in other basal ganglia structures which affect D1-mediated actions.