title: Accumbal α-adrenoceptors, but not β-adrenoceptors, regulate behaviour that is mediated by reserpine-sensitive storage vesicles.
abstract: It has previously been demonstrated that mesolimbic α-adrenoceptors, but not β-adrenoceptors, control the release of dopamine that is derived from reserpine-sensitive storage vesicles. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether these storage vesicles also regulate α-adrenoceptor-mediated or β-adrenoceptor-mediated changes in behaviour. Accordingly, rats were pretreated with reserpine before the α-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine or the β-adrenoceptor agonist isoproterenol was locally applied to the nucleus accumbens. Both phentolamine and isoproterenol increased the duration of walking, rearing and grooming and decreased the duration of sitting. Reserpine counteracted the behavioural response elicited by phentolamine but not by isoproterenol. The results of the present study demonstrate that mesolimbic α-adrenoceptors, but not β-adrenoceptors, regulate behaviour that is mediated by reserpine-sensitive storage pools. It is hypothesized that the observed α-adrenoceptor-mediated increase in locomotor activity is due to the α-adrenoceptor-mediated increase in the release of accumbal intravesicular dopamine. Our finding that α-adrenoceptors inhibit, whereas β-adrenoceptors stimulate, locomotor activity may help explain why noradrenaline or environmental stressors have previously been found to have opposing effects on the regulation of behaviour.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Cognitive Neuroscience (CNS), Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Division of Psychoneuropharmacology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands bDepartment of Pharmacology, Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo, Matsudo, Chiba cDepartment of Pharmacology, Nihon University School of Dentistry, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Michel M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Verheij
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saigusa
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koshikawa
authors.forename: Alexander R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Cools
mesh_terms: D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000494:pharmacology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D010646:Phentolamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012110:Reserpine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013572:Synaptic Vesicles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors; D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta; D012110:Reserpine; D007545:Isoproterenol; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D010646:Phentolamine