title: Plasticity of glutamatergic control of striatal acetylcholine release in experimental parkinsonism: opposite changes at group-II metabotropic and NMDA receptors.
abstract: To investigate whether adaptive changes of glutamatergic transmission underlie dysfunction of the cholinergic system in experimental parkinsonism, the effects of group-II metabotropic glutamate and NMDA receptor ligands on acetylcholine release was studied in striatal slices and synaptosomes obtained from naive rats, 6-hydroxydopamine hemi-lesioned rats and 6-hydroxydopamine hemi-lesioned rats chronically treated with levodopa (L-DOPA) plus benserazide (non-dyskinetic). Group-II metabotropic glutamate receptor agonists LY354740, DCG-IV and L-CCG-I inhibited the electrically-evoked endogenous acetylcholine release from slices, while NMDA facilitated it. LY354740 also inhibited K+-evoked acetylcholine release from synaptosomes. LY354740-induced inhibition was prevented by the group-II metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist LY341495. In hemi-parkinsonian rats, sensitivity towards LY354740 was reduced while that to NMDA was enhanced in the lesioned (denervated) compared with unlesioned striatum. Moreover, dizocilpine inhibited acetylcholine release in the lesioned compared with unlesioned striatum. Chronic treatment with L-DOPA normalized sensitivity towards glutamatergic agonists. We conclude that striatal dopamine denervation results in plastic changes at group-II metabotropic glutamate and NMDA receptors that may shift glutamatergic control of acetylcholine release towards facilitation. From a clinical perspective, L-DOPA and NMDA antagonists appear effective in counteracting overactivity of striatal cholinergic interneurones associated with Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Section of Pharmacology, University of Ferrara, via Fossato di Mortara 17-19, 44100 Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marti
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paganini
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stocchi
authors.forename: Flora
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mela
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beani
authors.forename: Clementina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morari
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001545:Benserazide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects; D020734:Parkinsonian Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000378:metabolism*; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / Q000378:metabolism; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000378:metabolism; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D007980:Levodopa; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D001545:Benserazide; D000109:Acetylcholine; D011188:Potassium