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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Presynaptic Dopamine Dynamics in Striatal Brain Slices with Fast-scan Cyclic Voltammetry
Published on: January 12, 2012
Endogenously released DOPA is probably relevant to nicotine-induced increases in locomotor activities of rats
S Nakamura1, Y Goshima, J L Yue
1Department of Pharmacology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Japan.
Abstract:
The relevance of endogenously released DOPA to the (+/-)-nicotine-induced increase in locomotor activities was explored in rats. This increase was dose (0.1-1.0 mg/kg, s.c.)-dependent, stereo-selective and mecamylamine (1.0 mg/kg, s.c.)-sensitive, but was not antagonized by L-dopa methyl ester (200 micrograms, i.v.t.), a competitive L-dopa antagonist. Then, by microdialysis, low doses of alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (alpha-MPT, i.p.) at 1-10 mg/kg, were tested to find a dose that selectively inhibits the basal DOPA release in the striata: the release was consistently inhibited by 3 mg/kg without any tendency to inhibit the basal dopamine release. Pretreatment with this dose did inhibit the nicotine-induced increases in locomotor activities. This suggests that endogeneously released DOPA is in part relevant to the nicotine-induced behavior in rats.
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