title: Changes of contrast gain in cat dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus by dopamine receptor agonists.
abstract: The modulatory effects of dopamine (DA) on the contrast gain of retino-geniculate transmission were tested with local micro-iontophoretical application of DA and the DA receptor agonists SKF38393 (SKF, D1/D5) and quinpirole (QUIN, D2/D3/D4) while recording visually induced spike activity of relay cells of the dorsal aspect of cat lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) in the anesthetised and paralyzed preparation. DA and QUIN could either facilitate or inhibit visual activity in a dose-dependent fashion: small amounts caused a facilitation while larger quantities resulted in a more (DA) or less (QUIN) strong inhibition. The effect of SKF was almost always suppressive and increased with the amount of drug applied. The absolute change in activity was depending on stimulus contrast and the strength of the elicited response: facilitation and inhibition of activity was proportional to stimulus contrast and response strength and thus resulted in a changed contrast gain. The results indicate that the visual deficits found in Parkinson's disease patients my be not solely related to retinal dysfunctions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurophysiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitaetsstrasse 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kerscher
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Eysel
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Funke
mesh_terms: D015647:2,3,4,5-Tetrahydro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-1H-3-benzazepine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D019257:Quinpirole / Q000494:pharmacology; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine; D019257:Quinpirole; D015647:2,3,4,5-Tetrahydro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-1H-3-benzazepine; D004298:Dopamine