title: beta-Phenylethylamine regulation of dopaminergic nigrostriatal cell activity.
abstract: In the present paper, the action of beta-phenylethylamine on electrophysiological activity of dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons is described. 10 s after its i.v. injection and during 2-4 min, beta-phenylethylamine decreased the firing rate, the number of spikes within and out of burst and the number of bursts per second of these neurons. This was a dose-related action with statistical differences starting from 1.4 mg/kg for total and out of burst firing rate and from 2.4 mg/kg for within burst firing rate and for the number of bursts per second. The standard deviation and the variation coefficient of inter-spike intervals increased in a dose-related way. The marked effect found after low-dose administration suggests that under physiological conditions endogenous beta-phenylethylamine levels regulate the nigrostriatal dopaminergic cell activity. After peripheral low dose administration, beta-phenylethylamine behaves as a dopaminergic agonist with a very fast and brief action.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barroso
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010627:Phenethylamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010627:Phenethylamines; C029261:phenethylamine; D004298:Dopamine