Developmental vitamin D deficiency alters dopamine-mediated behaviors and dopamine transporter function in adult female rats.
BACKGROUND
Developmental vitamin D (DVD) deficiency has been proposed as a risk factor for schizophrenia. DVD deficiency in neonatal rats is associated with alterations in cellular development, dopamine metabolism, and brain morphology. DVD-deficient adult rats show novelty-induced hyperlocomotion and an enhanced locomotor response to MK-801, which can be ameliorated by pretreatment with the antipsychotic drug haloperidol.


OBJECTIVE
In this study, we examined locomotor responses of male and female juvenile and adult rats to a dose range of amphetamine. We also measured dopamine receptor and monoamine transporter densities in adult brain.


RESULTS
Female DVD-deficient adult rats displayed an enhanced sensitivity to amphetamine-induced locomotion, an increased dopamine transporter density in the caudate-putamen and increased affinity in the nucleus accumbens compared with control females. By contrast, there were no differences between control and DVD-deficient male rats.


CONCLUSIONS
Taken together, this suggests an alteration in the development of the dopamine system and on dopamine-mediated behaviors in female DVD-deficient rats, and this may be relevant to the underlying neurobiology of schizophrenia.
Kesby
James P
JP
School of Biomedical Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
Cui
Xiaoying
X
O'Loan
Jonathan
J
McGrath
John J
JJ
Burne
Thomas H J
TH
Eyles
Darryl W
DW
D000661:Amphetamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000209:etiology; D012737:Sex Factors; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000503:physiopathology*
D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D000661:Amphetamine; D004298:Dopamine