Evidence that neurokinin A (substance K) neurons project from the striatum to the substantia nigra in rats.
The striatonigral neurokinin A (NKA) pathway in rats was examined with an antiserum specific to the N-terminal region of NKA. Thermal lesions of the striatum decreased both substance P-like immunoreactivity (SP-LI) and NKA-like immunoreactivity (NKA-LI) in the substantia nigra (SN). The releases of SP-LI and NKA-LI in the SN were measured by a push pull superfusion technique. Addition of 50 mM K+ to the superfusion medium increased the releases of both SP-LI and NKA-LI to 1.5-2.0 times the basal values. These results suggest that NKA neurons as well as SP neurons in the striatum project to the SN in rats.
D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008297:Male; D015288:Neurokinin A; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000032:analysis*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
D009479:Neuropeptides; D015288:Neurokinin A