Weak base model of amphetamine action.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to B G Hoebel.
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The purpose of this research was to measure conditioned release of neurotransmitters in vivo and to study their role as neuromodulators in neural circuits controlling food intake. 1. Extracellular serotonin (5HT) was measured in the hypothalamus during (a) injection of the anorectic drug d-fenfluramine, (b) a normal meal and (c) during the taste of a flavor that previously had been paired with nausea. All these situations increased 5HT, suggesting it plays a role in suppression of food intake. 2. Extracellular dopamine (DA) in the nucleus accumbens (NAC) was released (a) during eating and (b) by a conditioned taste associated with intragastric infusion of carbohydrate, but (c) DA decreased in response to a taste that had been paired with nausea. Thus some DA projections to the NAC may modulate circuits that reinforce eating safe food. Drugs that release DA mimic, in part, this safe food effect.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Extracellular levels of acetylcholine (ACh) were measured in the nucleus accumbens (NAC), striatum (STR), and hippocampus (HIPP) using microdialysis in 30-min intervals before, during, and after free-feeding in 20-h food-deprived rats. The effects on ACh in the NAC and STR were also observed in response to water intake in 20-h water-deprived animals. Neostigmine was used in the perfusate to improve ACh recovery. Basal ACh was sensitive to tetrodotoxin and low calcium, and therefore largely neuronal in origin. Feeding caused a 38% increase in extracellular ACh in the NAC and no change in the STR or HIPP. Dopamine was also increased in the NAC (48%) and to a lesser extent in the STR (21%) following feeding. Drinking caused 18-20% increases in ACh release in both the NAC and STR. In a separate experiment, ACh release in the NAC was monitored in 10-min intervals during free-feeding; ACh increased in the interval immediately following maximal food intake. These results suggest a site-specific increase in ACh release following feeding that cannot be solely attributed to the activation associated with this behavior.
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This study shows the effect of opiate withdrawal on dopamine (DA) in the nucleus accumbens (NAC). Microdialysis was used to detect variations in extracellular DA, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in the NAC of freely moving rats during acute and chronic morphine treatment followed by naloxone-precipitated withdrawal with and without clonidine. Basal levels of extracellular DA did not change between sessions, but morphine (20 mg/kg, i.p.) caused a significant and identical increase in extracellular DA and metabolites in both the acute phase (day 1) and the chronic phase (day 7). On day 8, naloxone (20 mg/kg i.p.) caused a significant decrease in DA levels accompanied by typical withdrawal symptoms such as wet dog shakes and teeth-chattering. Clonidine pretreatment (200 micrograms/kg, i.p.) eliminated both the withdrawal symptoms and the DA decrease. These results support the view that morphine increases extracellular DA at times when the drug is rewarding and also suggest that the converse may be true; morphine withdrawal decreases DA release in association with the aversive state.
This study used microdialysis to measure changes in extracellular acetylcholine (ACh) content in the nucleus accumbens (NAC) of freely moving rats during acute and chronic morphine treatment, and following naloxone-precipitated withdrawal. Morphine injection (20 mg/kg, i.p.) caused a significant decrease in extracellular ACh which was not apparent after repeated exposure to the opiate for 7 days. Basal recovery of ACh was not altered by chronic morphine treatment. On day 8, after morphine dependence had been established, naloxone caused a large increase in ACh levels accompanied by withdrawal symptoms such as wet dog shakes, diarrhea and teeth-chattering. Pretreatment with clonidine (200 micrograms/kg, i.p.) reduced these withdrawal symptoms and eliminated the ACh response. These results suggest that accumbens ACh is involved in some of the aversive aspects of opiate withdrawal.
This study used microdialysis to monitor extracellular levels of 5-HT and its metabolite, 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and hippocampus of freely moving rats that had developed a CTA to a 2.5 mM saccharin solution (CS) following its pairing with illness induced by lithium chloride (US). Results showed that oral infusion of the saccharin CS significantly enhanced extracellular LH 5-HT in animals that had developed a taste aversion compared with control groups, including unconditioned (CS-no US) and pseudoconditioned (no CS-US) subjects. As an anatomical control, the hippocampus was identified based on previous research suggesting that it is not integrally involved in CTA learning or retrieval and that 5-HT in this brain site does not directly mediate feeding behavior but is closely correlated with arousal. In contrast with the results obtained in the LH, hippocampal 5-HT was not preferentially elevated in subjects in the CTA group but rather was increased to the same extend in both CTA and control groups after saccharin infusion. Moreover, the increase in LH 5-HT for the CTA group was nearly twice that observed in the hippocampus for any group. Acute administration of LiCl elevated extracellular 5-HT to similar levels in both sites, well above the changes observed following conditioning. 5-HIAA was unaffected in either brain site by oral infusion of saccharin solution or injection of LiCl.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The conditioned taste aversion (CTA) paradigm and microdialysis were used to determine if extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens is related to the reward value of a stimulus. Intraorally applied saccharin caused a 37% increase in DA in naive rats and a 40% decrease in subjects with a CTA to this taste. These results suggest that accumbens DA is not just a function of arousal but is related to stimulus reward.
Interleukin (IL-1) is a cytokine which plays an important role in the modulation of the acute response in host defense. This cytokine is also increased in patients with Alzheimer's disease. In the present experiment systemic injection of IL-1 beta (7.5-50 micrograms/kg) decreased extracellular acetylcholine in the hippocampus. This effect could not be attributed entirely to general malaise since lithium chloride (130 mg/kg) had the opposite effect. Heat-inactivation of the cytokine eliminated the reduction of extracellular ACh. The results give further evidence of a relationship between the immune system and the central nervous system and suggest a possible relationship between IL-1 and cholinergic function or dysfunction in the hippocampus.
Cocaine and two other local anesthetics were applied directly into the nucleus accumbens for 20 min by diffusion from a 4 mm microdialysis probe in freely moving rats. Cocaine (7.3 mM) increased the extracellular concentration of dopamine (DA). Equimolar procaine did also, but was not as potent as cocaine. Equimolar lidocaine had no effect. The concentration of these drugs outside the probe as measured by capillary electrophoresis in vitro was about 28% of that inside the probe, i.e. 72% remained inside. However, an in vivo test showed that about 53% cocaine and procaine, and 37% lidocaine remained in the perfusion fluid after passing through a probe inserted in the brain. This suggests that in vivo about 68 nmol cocaine diffused into the nucleus accumbens (NAC) during the 20 min. Five conclusions are drawn: (1) this confirms our earlier finding that local injection of cocaine increases extracellular DA, but in this case the cocaine was infused via the probe without disturbing the animal; (2) the action of cocaine on dopamine terminals in the accumbens is independent of local anesthesia; (3) procaine may enhance mood by a cocaine-like effect; (4) capillary electrophoresis has potential for measuring cocaine levels in small samples and (5) in vitro calibrations are of limited value to evaluate in vivo performance of microdialysis probes.
Microdialysis was used to measure extracellular levels of acetylcholine (ACh) and dopamine (DA) simultaneously in the nucleus accumbens (NAC) of freely moving rats. Systemic injection of morphine (20 mg/kg) significantly decreased ACh (30%, p less than .01) while it increased DA (55%, p less than .01). The effects of morphine were eliminated by naloxone. The results confirm that morphine increases DA and in addition, demonstrate an inhibitory influence of this opiate on extracellular levels of ACh in the NAC.
Microdialysis was used to measure changes in extracellular serotonin in the hypothalamus of rats while they engaged in feeding behavior or received drug treatments used to treat feeding disorders and affective disorders in humans. Hypothalamic serotonin increased significantly relative to controls in response to (1) intraperitoneal tryptophan after food deprivation, (2) the smell of food and eating a meal, (3) a conditioned taste aversion, (4) d-fenfluramine and fluoxetine, and (5) an amphetamine challenge test after chronic low doses of lithium. In some cases, increases correlated with nonspecific behavioral arousal were seen in the hippocampus. The results suggest that diet, drug, and behavioral therapies, alone or combined, can be used to preferentially modify hypothalamic serotonin in the control of behavioral, emotional, and endocrine problems.
Chronic administration of lithium displays therapeutic and prophylactic effects in bipolar affective disorders, but its mechanism of action remains unknown. Several studies in animals and humans strongly suggest that central serotonergic neurons might be involved in lithium effects. In the experiments reported here microdialysis with removable probes and high pressure liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection were used to assess the amphetamine-induced release of serotonin (5-HT) and the 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels in the perifornical hypothalamus (PFH) and hippocampus (HP) of freely moving rats before and after chronic lithium chloride administration (2 meq/kg, as intragastric daily injections for 14 days). The serum lithium levels were 0.66 +/- 0.08 meq/l. After lithium treatment, the amphetamine-induced 5-HT release was significantly enhanced in the PFH but not so in the HP. Basal levels of 5-HIAA in the control group decreased but remained unchanged in the lithium group in the PFH. No change of basal levels of 5-HIAA was observed in the HP. The effect of lithium on the PFH could be related to the improvement of the autonomic and cyclic symptoms of patients with manic depressive disorders undergoing lithium therapy.
In rats with microdialysis probes in the perifornical lateral hypothalamus (PFH) a single injection of the D2 receptor blocker 1-sulpiride (20 mg/kg IP) significantly increased extracellular dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA), but not 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA). This suggests that sulpiride crosses the blood-brain barrier and blocks D2 dopamine receptors in the PFH leading to increased dopamine turnover reflected in increased extracellular DOPAC and HVA. We conclude that D2 blockade in the hypothalamus could play a role in the hyperphagia and body weight gain observed in female rats under chronic administration of the antipsychotic drug, sulpiride.
1. Psychotropic drugs ameliorate psychotic symptoms only after repeated administration. 2. To assess the neurochemical effects of chronic haloperidol and lithium administration, microdialysis was performed simultaneously in the prefrontal cortex, the nucleus accumbens, and the striatum after haloperidol, and separately in the lateral hypothalamus and the hippocampus after lithium. 3. Chronic administration of haloperidol decreased dopamine turnover in the prefrontal cortex and the striatum. It did not affect the nucleus accumbens detectably. 4. No tolerance to haloperidol developed in any of the three regions. 5. Lithium enhanced the response of the serotonergic system to amphetamine in the lateral hypothalamus but not in the hippocampus. 6. The antipsychotic effect of haloperidol might be related to dopamine turnover decrease in the prefrontal cortex. 7. The antidepressant effect of lithium might be related to enhancement of serotonin responsiveness in the hypothalamus.
In the present experiments we extend previous findings that established a relationship between feeding behavior and hypothalamic serotonin as measured by in vivo microdialysis. The new result is hypothalamic release of serotonin in anticipation of eating when the animal sees and smells food. We have now verified brain serotonin peaks in four different ways: 1) a serotonergic reuptake blocker (fluoxetine 1 or 10 microM) in the perfusion medium raised basal levels of serotonin, 2) every sample was oxidized at two potentials using a dual potentiostat to confirm the voltage characteristics of each peak, 3) serotonin peaks were reduced by the selective serotonin cell body agonist, 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetralin (8-OH-DPAT), thus helping confirm that most of the serotonin observed in these experiments was neuronal in origin, and 4) lateral and medial hypothalamic microdialysis probes were used simultaneously to monitor the degree of diffusion from one to the other. The results show that extracellular serotonin increases at both sites during preingestive events as well as during eating, but not afterwards.
Although it is well established that increases in tryptophan availability can increase brain serotonin synthesis, the effect of tryptophan loads on serotonin release is not as clear. We have used in vivo microdialysis in order to monitor extracellular serotonin in the lateral hypothalamus to examine this issue. Tryptophan methyl ester (100 mg/kg IP) was administered to ad lib-fed and 48-h food-deprived rats. The results suggest that a peripheral tryptophan load can elevate extracellular serotonin in food-deprived subjects more effectively than in food-replete subjects.
Experiments were conducted in male rats to assess the motor effects of bilateral intraperifornical microinjections of sulpiride, dopamine (DA) and other drugs. Sulpiride increased locomotion of the animals in all the experiments reported here. DA (10 micrograms) administered 5 minutes before sulpiride (8 micrograms) reduced the motor stimulant effect of the neuroleptic from 1601.3 +/- 337.6 to 742.5 +/- 180.4 counts/30 min. SCH 23390 (15 micrograms), haloperidol (2.5 micrograms) and atropine (18 micrograms) did not modify the locomotion level of animals acclimated to the actimeters. After carbachol (5 micrograms) the animals attained a level of hyperactivity (1459.5 +/- 146.5 counts/30 min) similar to that induced by sulpiride (1595.7 +/- 365.7 counts/30 min) in the same experiment. In other experiments DA (10 micrograms) administered 30 min before sulpiride again blocked the effect of 8 micrograms of sulpiride, and reduced the initial hyperactivity of food- and water-deprived animals previously familiarized with the actimeters (922.4 +/- 49.38 counts/15 min under saline, vs. 544 +/- 29 counts/15 min under DA). The same DA dose did not modify the initial spontaneous activity of nonfamiliarized nonfood-deprived rats (508.9 +/- 96.1 after saline vs. 520.9 +/- 47.1 after DA). These results suggest the presence of cells in the lateral hypothalamus involved in the control of locomotion. These experiments also suggest that locomotion triggered by the LH may be exploratory behavior essential to the search for water and food. As a corollary, DA in the LH appears to be involved not only in the inhibition of feeding and drinking but also in the inhibition of exploratory and food- and water-directed locomotion.