title: Feeding behavior in dopamine-deficient mice.
abstract: Mice that cannot make dopamine (DA), a condition caused by the selective inactivation of tyrosine hydroxylase in dopaminergic neurons, are born normal but gradually become hypoactive and hypophagic, and die at 3 weeks of age. We characterized the feeding and locomotor responses of these DA-deficient (DA-/-) mice to 3, 4-dihyroxy-L-phenylalanine (L-DOPA) to investigate the relationship between brain DA levels and these complex behaviors. Daily administration of L-DOPA to DA-/- mice stimulated locomotor activity that lasted 6 to 9 hr; during that time the mice consumed most of their daily food and water. The minimal dose of L-DOPA that was sufficient to elicit normal feeding behavior in the DA-/- mice also restored their striatal DA to 9.1% of that in the wild-type (WT) mice at 3 hr; then DA content declined to <1% of WT levels by 24 hr. This dose of L-DOPA induced locomotor activity that exceeded that of treated WT mice by 5- to 7-fold, suggesting that DA-/- mice are supersensitive to DA. Unexpectedly, DA-/- mice manifested a second wave of activity 24 to 48 hr after L-DOPA treatment that was equivalent in magnitude to that of WT mice and independent of DA receptor activation. The DA-/- mice approached, sniffed, and chewed food during this second period of activity, but they ate <10% of that required for sustenance. Therefore, DA-/- mice can execute behaviors necessary to seek and ingest food, but they do not eat enough to survive.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7370, USA.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Szczypka
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rainey
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Alaynick
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Marck
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Palmiter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002230:Carbidopa / Q000494:pharmacology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D065127:Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D007980:Levodopa / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009043:Motor Activity; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015259:Dopamine Agents; D065127:Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D007980:Levodopa; D002230:Carbidopa; D004298:Dopamine