title: Acute cocaine induces fast activation of D1 receptor and progressive deactivation of D2 receptor striatal neurons: in vivo optical microprobe [Ca2+]i imaging.
abstract: Cocaine induces fast dopamine increases in brain striatal regions, which are recognized to underlie its rewarding effects. Both dopamine D1 and D2 receptors are involved in cocaine's reward but the dynamic downstream consequences of cocaine effects in striatum are not fully understood. Here we used transgenic mice expressing EGFP under the control of either the D1 receptor (D1R) or the D2 receptor (D2R) gene and microprobe optical imaging to assess the dynamic changes in intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) responses (used as marker of neuronal activation) to acute cocaine in vivo separately for D1R- versus D2R-expressing neurons in striatum. Acute cocaine (8 mg/kg, i.p.) rapidly increased [Ca(2+)](i) in D1R-expressing neurons (10.6 ± 3.2%) in striatum within 8.3 ± 2.3 min after cocaine administration after which the increases plateaued; these fast [Ca(2+)](i) increases were blocked by pretreatment with a D1R antagonist (SCH23390). In contrast, cocaine induced progressive decreases in [Ca(2+)](i) in D2R-expressing neurons (10.4 ± 5.8%) continuously throughout the 30 min that followed cocaine administration; these slower [Ca(2+)](i) decreases were blocked by pretreatment with a D2R antagonist (raclopride). Since activation of striatal D1R-expressing neurons (direct-pathway) enhances cocaine reward, whereas activation of D2R-expressing neurons suppresses it (indirect-pathway) (Lobo et al., 2010), this suggests that cocaine's rewarding effects entail both its fast stimulation of D1R (resulting in abrupt activation of direct-pathway neurons) and a slower stimulation of D2R (resulting in longer-lasting deactivation of indirect-pathway neurons). We also provide direct in vivo evidence of D2R and D1R interactions in the striatal responses to acute cocaine administration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA.
authors.forename: Zhongchi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Nora D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Volkow
authors.forename: Nathaniel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Heintz
authors.forename: Yingtian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Congwu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Du
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001552:Benzazepines / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D065127:Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D020891:Raclopride / Q000494:pharmacology; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1 / Q000819:agonists* / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000819:agonists*; D013997:Time Factors; D056969:Voltage-Sensitive Dye Imaging / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001552:Benzazepines; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D065127:Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; C534628:SCH 23390; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D020891:Raclopride; D003042:Cocaine; D002118:Calcium