title: Effects of lesions of the ventral medial tegmentum on locomotor activity, biogenic amines and responses to amphetamine in rats.
abstract: Rats subjected to electrolytic lesions of the ventral medial tegmentum (VMT) showed long-lasting increased locomotor activity in the open field compared to sham-operated controls. In addition to severe depletion of mesolimbic dopamine, the lesions also caused significant depletions of striatal dopamine, mesolimbic and striatal norepinephrine and striatal and hippocampal serotonin. Administration of d-amphetamine sulfate produced similar dose-response functions for locomotor activity in both VMT-lesioned and sham-operated rats despite the extensive depletion of dopamine in the VMT-lesioned rats. These results suggest that the mesolimbic dopamine pathway is not the sole substrate for amphetamine-stimulated locomotor activity. Electrolytic lesions of the VMT interrupt several neurotransmitter pathways which may produce complex and antagonistic effects on behavior.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001679:Biogenic Amines / Q000378:metabolism*; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology; D013681:Tegmentum Mesencephali / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001679:Biogenic Amines; D012701:Serotonin; D003913:Dextroamphetamine; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine