title: Biphasic effects of neonatal allopregnanolone on striatal dopamine metabolism.
abstract: Neurosteroids are known to modulate the development of the mesocorticolimbic system. We examined the effects of low (1 mg/kg) and high (10 mg/kg) doses of allopregnanolone on monoamine metabolism during the neonatal period (postnatal days 3-7) in rats. At 10 weeks of age, increases in homovanillic acid/dopamine (DA) ratios were found in the striatum in both allopregnanolone-treated groups compared with control rats. However, striatal DA levels decreased only in the low-allopregnanolone group and striatal homovanillic acid levels increased only in the high-allopregnanolone group. Allopregnanolone did not significantly affect cortical DA metabolism, or cortical or striatal serotonin metabolism. Data indicate that neonatal allopregnanolone treatment has a biphasic effect on striatal DA metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy I, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. kmuneoka@med.showa-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Katsumasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muneoka
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuwagata
authors.forename: Yukihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shirayama
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shioda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011280:Pregnanolone / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D011280:Pregnanolone; D004298:Dopamine; D006719:Homovanillic Acid