title: Partial lesion of the dopaminergic innervation of the ventral striatum induces "depressive-like" behavior of rats.
abstract: Depression is a frequent comorbid disorder in Parkinson's disease (PD) which may precede appearance of its motor symptoms by several years. Pathomechanisms underlying PD have been suggested to be responsible for the PD-related depression. The aim of the study was to examine the influence of a partial lesion of striatal dopaminergic terminals on the "depressive-like" behavior of rats in the forced swimming test (FS). 6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) was injected bilaterally into the ventro-lateral region of the caudate-putamen (CP) (3.75 μg/2.5 μl/side). The locomotor activity and behavior of rats in the FS were measured 2 and 4 weeks after the operation. The lesion extent was analyzed by biochemical and immunohistochemical methods. Two weeks after the operation, the 6-OHDA-treated rats displayed a prolonged immobility in the FS. This effect disappeared after 4 weeks. The locomotor activity was not influenced by 6-OHDA. Levels of dopamine, DOPAC and HVA were decreased in the nucleus accumbens (NAC) 2 weeks after 6-OHDA but were not changed in the CP, frontal cortex (FCX) and substantia nigra (SN). No significant effect of 6-OHDA on tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactivity in the CP and NAC were found. The present study indicates that a relatively small lesion of dopaminergic terminals in the ventral striatum, which does not produce any motor disturbances, may induce "depressive-like" symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuro-Psychopharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, PL 31-343 Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuter
authors.forename: Wacław
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kolasiewicz
authors.forename: Krystyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gołembiowska
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dziubina
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.forename: Klemencja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Berghauzen
authors.forename: Jadwiga
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wardas
authors.forename: Krystyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ossowska
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D003863:Depression / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D059290:Dopaminergic Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016627:Oxidopamine / Q000633:toxicity; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D016627:Oxidopamine; D004298:Dopamine