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Progressive accumbens degeneration after neonatal striatal 6-hydroxydopamine in rats
M H Teicher1, S L Andersen, A Campbell
1Consolidated Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Abstract:
Parkinson's disease is associated with progressive loss of nigrostriatal dopamine (DA). Models of the disorder, produced with neurotoxins (N-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine or 6-hydroxydopamine) that selectively lesion DA neurons, are characterized by acute removal and gradual recovery of DA. We report slowly progressive loss of DA in ipsilateral nucleus accumbens following profound (>90%) acute unilateral depletion of DA in the caudate-putamen of neonatal rats, from 50% at age 27 days to 94% by 100 days. Metabolic turnover of DA markedly increased in ipsilateral accumbens, and may yield tissue-damaging neurotoxic by-products. This paradigm may help in elucidating mechanisms responsible for gradual degeneration of DA neurons and for screening potential neuroprotective agents.