title: Acetylcholine receptor activation enhances NMDA-mediated responses in the rat neostriatum.
abstract: The influence of acetylcholine (ACh) upon N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation of neostriatal neurons is unknown. In the present study, we used both in vitro intracellular and in vivo electroencephalographic recordings in rats to examine this question. In vitro, iontophoretic application of carbachol, a cholinergic receptor agonist, significantly increased the NMDA-mediated response of neostriatal projection neurons. Carbachol alone had mild excitatory effects. In vivo, intrastriatal NMDA produced focal epileptiform activity restricted to the neostriatum. NMDA applied in conjunction with carbachol produced significantly greater epileptiform activity which propagated to the neocortex. These results suggest that ACh and NMDA receptor co-activation leads to potentiation of the neuronal responses both at the site of the interaction and at the endpoint of the cortico-striato-cortical circuit.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Physiology, Palermo University, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sabatino
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Cromwell
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cepeda
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: La Grutta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002217:Carbachol / Q000494:pharmacology; D018679:Cholinergic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects*; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018679:Cholinergic Agonists; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D002217:Carbachol