Work

Investigation of the failure of parenterally administered haloperidol to antagonize dopamine released from micropipettes in the caudate

Year: 1986

Type: article

Abstract: An anomaly in the experimental data underlying the theory that neuroleptics act by blockade of dopaminergic neurotransmission is the repeatedly demonstrated failure in several laboratories of parenterally administered neuroleptics to antagonize electrophysiologic actions of locally applied dopamine (DA) in striatum. This failure is enigmatic since many investigators have successfully demonstrated antagonism when both dopamine and neuroleptic are applied directly to striatal neurons by microiontophoresis. We used multibarrel micropipettes to pressure-eject DA agonists onto rat caudate neurons while observing the ability of parenterally administered haloperidol to block the inhibitory actions of dopaminergic agonists on neuronal activity. Experiments performed at times of maximal behavioural effect of haloperidol did not demonstrate agonist-antagonist interaction. This result has been obtained by four other teams of investigators. A variety of pharmacologic manipulations were employed to help solve this enigma. Acute treatment with reserpine and alpha-methyl-paratyrosine, performed to minimize any possible interference by endogenous DA, did not permit blockade of dopamine by haloperidol. To see if this failure of antagonism could be generalized to other DA agonists, apomorphine, amphetamine, and phencyclidine (PCP) were also investigated. Although the direct dopaminergic agonist apomorphine was not antagonized by haloperidol, the indirect DA agonist PCP was successfully antagonized. Amphetamine, which has both direct and indirect actions when applied locally, was not antagonized. Antagonism of direct agonists was demonstrated in rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine-induced lesions of the nigrostriatal pathway. In these preparations, parenterally administered haloperidol reversed the receptor-mediated supersensitivity to the inhibitory effects of locally applied DA and apomorphine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Source: Journal of Neuroscience

DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.06-02-00572.1986

Authors: SW Johnson, BJ Hoffer, R Freedman

Institutions: University of Colorado Health, Denver VA Medical Center, University of Colorado Denver, University of Colorado Anschutz

Language: English

Topic: Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: U.S. Public Health Service, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke