Hypofrontality does not occur with 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex in rat brain

This study examined the effect of lesions of dopamine (DA) nerve terminals the medial prefrontal cortex on local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU) and dopamine metabolism in the rat brain. Bilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions were stereotaxically placed in the medial prefrontal cortex. Twenty-eight days after the lesion, concentrations of DA and its metabolites, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA), were determined in eight brain regions with a high-performance liquid chromatographic assay. LCGU was assessed by [14C]2-deoxy-D-glucose autoradiography. The lesion produced a striking reduction in DA (to 6% of the control value), and a moderate reduction in DOPAC and HVA in the medial prefrontal cortex. The ratio of DOPAC to DA in the medial prefrontal cortex was significantly elevated in the 6-OHDA lesioned animals. In contrast to DA depletion, LCGU in the medial prefrontal cortex of the lesioned rats was unaltered when compared with the control. These findings suggest that decreased energy metabolism in the frontal cortex, i.e., hypofrontality, does not occur with decreased DA innervation of that site.