The metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGluR7) allosteric agonist AMN082 modulates nucleus accumbens GABA and glutamate, but not dopamine, in rats.
The group III metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGluR7) has been implicated in many neurological and psychiatric diseases, including drug addiction. However, it is unclear whether and how mGluR7 modulates nucleus accumbens (NAc) dopamine (DA), L-glutamate or gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), important neurotransmitters believed to be involved in such neuropsychiatric diseases. In the present study, we found that systemic or intra-NAc administration of the mGluR7 allosteric agonist N,N'-dibenzyhydryl-ethane-1,2-diamine dihydrochloride (AMN082) dose-dependently lowered NAc extracellular GABA and increased extracellular glutamate, but had no effect on extracellular DA levels. Such effects were blocked by (R,S)-alpha-methylserine-O-phosphate (MSOP), a group III mGluR antagonist. Intra-NAc perfusion of tetrodotoxin (TTX) blocked the AMN082-induced increases in glutamate, but failed to block the AMN082-induced reduction in GABA, suggesting vesicular glutamate and non-vesicular GABA origins for these effects. In addition, blockade of NAc GABAB receptors by 2-hydroxy-saclofen itself elevated NAc extracellular glutamate. Intra-NAc perfusion of 2-hydroxy-saclofen not only abolished the enhanced extracellular glutamate normally produced by AMN082, but also decreased extracellular glutamate in a TTX-resistant manner. We interpret these findings to suggest that the increase in glutamate is secondary to the decrease in GABA, which overcomes mGluR7 activation-induced inhibition of non-vesicular glutamate release. In contrast to its modulatory effect on GABA and glutamate, the mGluR7 receptor does not appear to modulate NAc DA release.
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001418:Baclofen / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D017551:Microdialysis / Q000379:methods; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects*; D010768:Phosphoserine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D018756:GABA Antagonists; C507346:N,N'-dibenzhydrylethane-1,2-diamine dihydrochloride; C120877:methylserine phosphate; D010768:Phosphoserine; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D001418:Baclofen; D004298:Dopamine; C057491:2-hydroxysaclofen