Quantification of dopamine D3 receptor mRNA level associated with the development of amphetamine-induced behavioral sensitization in the rat brain.
We hypothesized that changes in expression of dopamine (DA) D3 receptor gene in the rat brain would correlate with the behavioral sensitization induced by amphetamine (AMPH). In order to test this hypothesis, we measured D3 receptor mRNA levels in the striatum, nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex, in individual rats following AMPH treatment (2.5 mg/kg s.c., for 5 consecutive days) using a ribonuclease protection assay method. We observed similar levels of D3 receptor mRNA in saline and AMPH treated animals in each brain region examined. These results suggest behavioral sensitization to AMPH is not mediated through postsynaptic transcriptional regulation of D3 receptor.
D000661:Amphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000378:metabolism; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics*; D050637:Receptors, Dopamine D3; D012016:Reference Values; D012260:Ribonucleases