Agonist stimulated [S]guanosine 5¢-c-thiotriphosphate ([S]GTPcS) binding autoradiography was established for the examination of dopamine-D2 ⁄D3 receptors in human brain sections. The distribution of G proteins activated by dopamine-D2 ⁄D3 receptors was studied in whole hemisphere cryosections. Dopamine stimulated [S]GTPcS binding in brain regions with high densities of dopamine D2-like receptor...

PURPOSE Long term L-DOPA therapy in Parkinson's disease is associated with troublesome motor fluctuations such as L -DOPA Induced dyskinesia and wearing off effect. Our recent study showed that activation of 5-HT1A receptors could improve the anti-cataleptic effect of L-DOPA in parkinsonian rats. In this study we investigated the effect of fluoxetine on anti-parkinsonian effect of L-DOPA in 6-h...

Molybdenum-containing enzymes, aldehyde oxidase and xanthine oxidase, are important in the oxidation of N-heterocyclic xenobiotics. However, the role of these enzymes in the oxidation of drug-derived aldehydes has not been established. The present investigation describes the interaction of eleven structurally related benzaldehydes with guinea pig liver aldehyde oxidase and bovine milk xanthine ...

Transplants of fetal ventral mesencephalic (VM) dopamine neurons implanted into the substantia nigra in 6-hydroxy-dopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned neonatal pups establish axonal connections with the denervated caudate putamen (Nikkhah et al., 1995). In the present study, we have explored the functional capabilities of these animals after they reached adulthood on a battery of spontaneous and drug-ind...

Luippold, Gerd, Swetlana Schneider, Volker Vallon, Hartmut Osswald, and Bernd Mühlbauer. Postglomerular vasoconstriction induced by dopamine D3 receptor activation in anesthetized rats. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 278: F570–F575, 2000.—In the present study we investigated the renal hemodynamic effects of dopamine D3 receptor activation by R(1)-7-hydroxy-dipropylaminotetraline (7-OH-DPAT) in thio...

We have shown that buspirone, a partial agonist of 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A (5-HT1A) receptors, improves motor dysfunctions induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and haloperidol in rats. The present work extends these findings by investigating the role of 5-HT1A receptors on catalepsy-like immobilization in rats, a model of Parkinson’s disease. Catalepsy was induced by unilateral infusion of 6-OH...

We have shown that buspirone, a partial agonist of 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A (5-HT1A) receptors, improves motor dysfunctions induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and haloperidol in rats. The present work extends these findings by investigating the role of 5-HT1A receptors on catalepsy-like immobilization in rats, a model of Parkinson’s disease. Catalepsy was induced by unilateral infusion of 6-OH...

Signaling factors involved in CNS development have been used to control the differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into mesencephalic dopamine (mesDA) neurons, but tend to generate a limited yield of desired cell type. Here we show that forced expression of Lmx1a, a transcription factor functioning as a determinant of mesDA neurons during embryogenesis, effectively can promote the gener...

The use of a polyclonal antiserum specific to C-terminal tetrapeptide amide of (D-Ala2)deltorphin-I, a naturally occurring amphibian skin opioid peptide, has already demonstrated the presence of immunoreactive neurons in rat midbrain. Double immunostaining identified these neurons as a subpopulation of the mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons that were also tyrosine hydroxylase-immunopositive and...

L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia is a common side effect developed after chronic treatment with 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-l-alanine (l-DOPA) in Parkinson's disease. The biological mechanisms behind this side effect are not fully comprehended although involvement of dopaminergic, serotonergic, and glutamatergic systems has been suggested. The present study utilizes in vivo amperometry to investigate the impa...