Basal and stress-induced corticosterone secretion is decreased by lesion of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons.
There is evidence that certain psychopathological conditions are accompanied by a dysfunction in both the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and dopaminergic systems, although the relationship between these two systems is as yet unclear. In the present study we investigated the effect of a specific lesion of dopamine mesencephalic neurons (Ventral Tegmental Area) on basal and stress-induced corticosterone secretion. Three weeks after injection of 6-OHDA, there was a depletion in dopamine in the frontal cortex and in the ventral and dorsal striatum, whereas norepinephrine and serotonin levels were unchanged. The dopamine-lesioned rats exhibited a lower basal and stress-induced corticosterone secretion than the sham-lesioned animals. The results indicate that the dopaminergic system may have a stimulatory influence on the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis.
Casolini
P
P
Laboratoire de Psychobiologie des Comportements Adaptatifs, INSERM U259, Université de Bordeaux II, France.
Kabbaj
M
M
Leprat
F
F
Piazza
P V
PV
Rougé-Pont
F
F
Angelucci
L
L
Simon
H
H
Le Moal
M
M
Maccari
S
S
D000818:Animals; D001481:Basal Metabolism; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D016627:Oxidopamine; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017557:Ventral Tegmental Area / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*
D016627:Oxidopamine; D004298:Dopamine; D003345:Corticosterone