title: Lesions of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal system in neonatal rats: effects on the electrophysiological activity of striatal neurons recorded during adulthood.
abstract: The spontaneous activity of single striatal neurons was recorded extracellularly from 3-4-month-old adult rats that had been given dopamine (DA)-depleting brain lesions 3 days after birth. Behavioral observations made prior to recording indicated no gross sensorimotor deficits, yet subsequent biochemical analyses revealed that animals had sustained near-total DA depletions (greater than 99%). Electrophysiological results showed that the firing rates of type II striatal cells were greatly increased relative to control levels. This finding contrasts sharply with the effects of DA-depleting brain lesions given to adult animals, in which similarly high levels of striatal cell activity are invariably associated with akinesia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Onn
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Balzer
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Sidney
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Stricker
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Zigmond
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Berger
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006892:Hydroxydopamines; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009498:Neurotoxins; D016627:Oxidopamine; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012016:Reference Values; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006892:Hydroxydopamines; D009498:Neurotoxins; D016627:Oxidopamine; D004298:Dopamine