Mesolimbic dopamine and early post-6-OHDA lesion enhanced responses to d-amphetamine

Bilateral lesions of mesolimbic dopamine (DA) reliably produce an attenuated response to amphetamine's locomotor stimulatory effects when administered after two weeks of surgical recovery. Several studies have revealed enhanced amphetamine-induced hyperactivity during the first postlesion week, however. In the present study, animals with bilateral 6-OHDA lesions of nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle DA showed an exaggerated response to 1.0 mg/kg amphetamine during this early period but were hypoactive in the absence of drug treatment. Neurochemical assay at 5 days revealed increased DA metabolism in the tubercle. Shifting patterns of postlesion amphetamine response under conditions of reduced mesolimbic DA are suggestive of dynamic adaptations in nondopaminergic systems.