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The immune system has been recognized as a potential contributor to psychiatric disorders. In animals, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is used to induce inflammation and behaviors analogous to some of the symptoms in these disorders. Recent data indicate that the kynurenine pathway contributes to LPS-induced aberrant behaviors. However, data are inconclusive regarding optimal LPS dose and treatment strategy. Here, we therefore aimed to evaluate the effects of single versus repeated administration of LPS on the kynurenine pathway. Adult C57BL6 mice were given 0.83 mg/kg LPS as a single or a repeated injection (LPS + LPS) and sacrificed after 24, 48, 72, or 120 h. Mice receiving LPS + LPS had significantly elevated brain kynurenine levels at 24 and 48 h, and elevated serum kynurenine at 24, 48 and 72 h. Brain kynurenic acid and quinolinic acid were significantly increased at 24 and 48 h in mice receiving LPS + LPS, whereas serum kynurenic acid levels were significantly decreased at 24 h. The increase of brain kynurenic acid by LPS + LPS was likely unrelated to the higher total dose as a separate group of mice receiving 1.66 mg/kg LPS as single injection 24 h prior to sacrifice did not show increased brain kynurenic acid. Serum quinolinic acid levels were not affected by LPS + LPS compared to vehicle. Animals given repeated injections of LPS showed a more robust induction of the kynurenine pathway in contrast to animals receiving a single injection. These results may be valuable in light of data showing the importance of the kynurenine pathway in psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotigotine, a non-ergolinic dopamine receptor agonist for treatment of Parkinson’s disease was continuously administered over 48 h (0.5 mg/kg s.c., slow release formulation) to conscious rats striatally implanted with a microdialysis probe. Subsequently, the levels of rotigotine increased to a maximum of 3.42 + 2.1 nmol/l and remained at a level of 2.81 ± 0.82 nmol/l for 48 h. Concomitantly, the dopamine levels consistently decreased to 20% of the control level. This suggests that the sustained administration of rotigotine provides stable extracellular drug levels in the striatum resulting in continuous stimulation of dopamine receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated levels of glutamate, an endogenous excitatory amino acid, contribute to the development of neuronal injury in various cerebral diseases. Using a microdialysis approach, the response of extracellular levels of amino acids and metabolic parameters to glutamine synthetase inhibition by l-methionine sulfoximine was monitored simultaneously in the hippocampal formation and in the frontal cortex of the rabbit brain. In the hippocampal formation the decrease of glutamine levels during l-methionine sulfoximine treatment was more pronounced than in the frontal cortex, and was accompanied by a delayed decline of extracellular glutamate concentrations. Furthermore, l-methionine sulfoximine diminished the increase of lactate and pyruvate concentrations in the hippocampal formation, but not in the frontal cortex. Neither l-methionine sulfoximine treatment nor microdialysis probe insertion caused neuronal apoptosis, as measured by in situ tailing. An impaired function of hippocampal astrocyte glutamate uptake mechanisms or a higher functional capacity of the cortical glutamine synthetase may be possible explanations for the differences demonstrated. The present data are in accordance with regional differences in glutamine synthetase activation during bacterial meningitis and may explain, in part, the higher susceptibility of certain areas of the hippocampal formation (i.e., the dentate gyrus) to neuronal injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asphyxia during birth can cause gross brain damage, but also subtle perturbations expressed as biochemical or motor deficits with late onset in life. Thus, it has been shown that brain dopamine levels can be increased or decreased depending upon the severity of the insult, and the region where the levels are determined. In this study, perinatal asphyxia was evoked by immersing pup-containing uterus horns removed by hysterectomy in a water bath at 37°C for various periods of time from 0 to 20 min. After the insult, the pups were delivered, given to surrogate mothers, treated with nicotinamide, further observed and finally, 4 weeks later, killed for monoamine biochemistry of tissue samples taken from substantia nigra, neostriatum and nucleus accumbens. The main effect of perinatal asphyxia was a decrease in dopamine and metabolite levels in nucleus accumbens, and a paradoxical increase in the substantia nigra. Nicotinamide (100 mg/kg i.p., once a day for 3 days, beginning 24 h after the perinatal asphyctic insult) prevented the effect of asphyxia in nucleus accumbens. Furthermore, striatal dopamine levels were increased by nicotinamide in asphyctic animals. No apparent changes were observed in substantia nigra. A prominent unexpected effect of perinatal asphyxia alone was on the levels of the metabolite of 5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), which were increased in substantia nigra and decreased in both neostriatum and accumbens. However, nicotinamide increased 5-HIAA levels in all regions, which appeared to be related to the extent of the asphyctic insult. These results suggest that nicotinamide is a useful treatment against the long-term consequences produced by perinatal asphyxia on brain monoamine systems, and that there is a therapeutic window following the insult, providing a therapeutic opportunity to protect the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the influence of temperature or glutamate antagonism on the immediate outcome of perinatal asphyxia. Perinatal asphyxia was produced by water immersion of fetus-containing uterus horns removed by cesarean section from ready to deliver rats. The uterus horns were kept in a water bath for different time periods, before the pups were delivered and stimulated to breathe. After delivery, the pups were assessed for behavior and for systemic glutamate, aspartate, lactate and pyruvate levels measured with in vivo microdialysis, or ex vivo for energy-rich phosphates, including adenosine triphosphate (ATP), in brain, heart and kidney. In a series of experiments, asphyxia was initiated in a water bath at 37°C, before the pup-containing uterus horns were moved for different time intervals to a 15°C bath. In another series of experiments, the mothers were treated with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, dizocilpine (MK-801), or α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) antagonist, 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl benzo(f) quinoxaline (NBQX) 1 h before hysterectomy and asphyxia at 37°C. The rate of survival rapidly decreased following exposure to more than 16 min of asphyxia, and no survival could be observed after 22 min of asphyxia. An LD50 was estimated to occur at ~19 min of asphyxia. The outcome was paralleled by a decrease in ATP in kidney, followed by a decrease in heart and brain. A maximal decrease in ATP was observed after 20 min of asphyxia in all tissues. Systemic microdialysis revealed that glutamate, aspartate and pyruvate levels were increased with a peak after 5 min of asphyxia. In contrast, lactate levels increased along with the length of the insult. Survival was increased when the pup-containing uterus horns were moved from a 37°C to a 15°C bath, at 15 min of asphyxia (the LD50 was thus increased to 30 min). If the shift occurred at 10 or 5 min of asphyxia, the LD50 increased to 80 or 110 min, respectively. The effect of glutamate antagonism was minor compared to hypothermia; the best effect (an increase in the LD50 to ~22 min) was observed after combining AMPA and NMDA antagonists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspartate and glutamate were monitored in the scala tympani of the guinea pig cochlea using in vivo microdialysis before and during noise exposure. Moderate level broad band noise [105 dB sound pressure level (SPL), 30 min] neither altered the levels of aspartate or glutamate, nor auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds. High level noise exposure (135 dB SPL, 30 min) caused a large increase in aspartate (330%), a smaller increase in glutamate (150%), and a permanent ABR threshold shift of 60–75 dB between 2.0 and 12.5 kHz. Morphological analysis of the cochlea revealed a collapse of supporting structures, swelling of the afferent dendrites under the inner hair cells, and outer hair cell loss. Pretreatment with the NMDA antagonist, MK 801 (1 mg/kg body weight, i.p.) 1 h before noise exposure protected the afferent dendrites from swelling but did not protect the collapse of supporting structures, outer hair cell loss, or auditory thresholds. In conclusion, the noise-induced increase in aspartate and glutamate release in the cochlea and the protective effect of NMDA antagonism suggest that these two neurotransmitters are involved in noise-induced hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nigrostriatal and mesolimbic systems of the rat have been re-constructed using the organotypic culture model, whereby neonatal brain tissue is grown in vitro for approximately one month. The nigrostriatal cultures consisted of tissue from the substantia nigra, dorsal striatum and frontoparietal cortex; while the mesolimbic cultures included the ventral tegmental area, ventral striatum and cingulate cortex. The cultures were grown at 35°C in normal atmosphere, using a tube-roller device placed in a cell incubator and changing the medium every 3–4 days. The in vitro development was evaluated with an inverted microscope equipped with a variable relief contrast function. Samples were taken directly from the medium in the culture tube and analysed for several amino acids with HPLC. After a month the cultures were fixed and processed for immunohistochemistry. High levels of glutamate and aspartate were observed every time the medium was changed, but the levels rapidly decreased reaching a steady state after approximately 24 h. A decrease in the levels was also observed along development, reaching stable values (∼2 μM and ∼0.12 μM for glutamate and aspartate, respectively) at approximately two weeks, but only when the cultures showed an apparently healthy development. The levels were approximately 10 times higher in deteriorating or apparently damaged cultures. Glutamine levels were in the mM range and remained stable along the entire experiment. No differences were observed among nigrostriatal and mesolimbic cultures. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the impressions obtained from microscopic and biochemical analysis along the in vitro development, revealing apparently healthy neuronal systems with characteristics similar to those observed in vivo, when tyrosine hydroxylase and nitric oxide synthase, markers for dopamine and nitric oxide containing neurons, respectively, were analysed. In the substantia nigra, nitric oxide synthase-positive networks surrounded tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons, while in the striatum nitric oxide synthase dendrites were surrounded by tyrosine hydroxylase-positive nerve terminals, suggesting a reciprocal interaction among dopamine and nitric oxide containing neurons. Thus, the organotypic model appears to capture many of the neurochemical and morphological features seen in vivo, providing a valuable model for studying in detail the neurocircuitries of the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have used the perfused guinea-pig temporal-bone preparation to study the sound-evoked efflux of aspartate and glutamate, which are putative afferent transmitters in the cochlea. The cochlea was stimulated with white noise at 89, 95, and 101 dB SPL. Cochlear function was monitored by recording the endocochlear potential, the cochlear microphonic, and the summating potential. In silence, there was a low basal efflux of both amino acids. A significant and intensity dependent sound-evoked efflux of aspartate was observed at all levels, whereas a significant efflux of glutamate was found only at the 101 dB SPL level. Immunohistochemistry of sections from the organ of corti showed an ubiquitous distribution of glutamate-like immunoreactivity in the sensory organ and ganglion, whereas aspartate-like immunoreactivity was found in the region of the inner hair cells and in the spiral ganglion. In view of these findings, we suggest that not only glutamate, but also aspartate may have a neurotransmitter role in the afferent pathway of the cochlea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the ability of the vigilance-promoting drug modafinil to counteract the ischemic lesion produced by a unilateral microinjection of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the neostriatum of the rat using a combined morphometrical, biochemical, cardiovascular and behavioral analysis. ET-1 was injected unilaterally into the neostriatum. The ET-1-induced lesion volume, which was determined by a computer-assisted morphometrical analysis, was reduced by the 7-day modafinil treatment (10, 30, and 100 mg/kg i.p.) in a dose-related way. Modafinil also produced a dose-related counteraction of the ET-1-induced increase of perfusate lactate levels, as determined by intrastriatal microdialysis without affec ting the ET-1 induced reduction of striatal blood flow, as determined by laser-Doppler flowmetry. The ipsilateral rotational behavior induced by apomorphine in the ET-1-lesioned rats was reduced dose-dependently by modafinil treatment. Thus, morphological, neurochemical, and behavioral evidence that the putative ischemic striatal injury induced by microinjection of ET-1 in the rat neostriatum is counteracted in a dose-dependent way by modafinil treatment has been obtained. The mechanism does not appear to involve an increase in striatal blood flow. It is instead speculated that its powerful preventive action in striatal ischemic injury may be related to a reduced anaerobic metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In vivo microdialysis was used to study the effect of secretogranin II-derived peptides on dynorphin B (Dyn B), dopamine, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate and aspartate release in the substantia nigra and neostriatum of halothane-anaesthesized rats. In the substantia nigra, local infusion of secretoneurin (secretogranin II 154-186) (1-50 μM) increased, in a concentration-dependent manner, extracellular aspartate, glutamate, Dyn B, dopamine and GABA levels. The effect was particularly prominent on aspartate and glutamate levels which, following 50 μM of secretoneurin, were increased by >20 and >10 fold, respectively. However, the effect of secretoneurin on Dyn B release appeared to be more specific, since a significant increase (>2 fold) was already observed following 1 μM of secretoneurin. In the neostriatum, Dyn B, glutamate, aspartate and GABA levels were also increased by local secretoneurin infusion, but the effect was less prominent than in the substantia nigra. In the substantia nigra, only Dyn B levels were significantly increased following infusion of 10 μM of the secretoneurin-C terminal (secretoneurin-15C), whereas Dyn B and GABA levels were increased by the same concentration of the secretogranin II C terminus (YM). Only glutamate and aspartate levels were increased by local infusion of 10 μM of secretogranin II 133-151 (LF), a peptide adjacent to secretoneurin in the primary amino acid sequence. In the neostriatum, Dyn B and GABA levels were increased by 10 μM of secretoneurin-15C. Dyn B levels were also increased by 10 μM of YM, and glutamate and aspartate levels were increased by 10 μM of both YM and LF. Thus, secretogranin 11-derived peptides affect extracellular levels of several putative neurotransmitter systems monitored in the basal ganglia of the rat with in vivo microdialysis. The effect of Dyn B appears to be specific and related to a physiological role of secretoneurin, since (i) it occurs in an area where secretoneurin-immunocytochemistry has been observed, (ii) is exerted at comparatively low concentrations, and (iii) is mimicked by secretoneurin-15C. The increases in excitatory amino acid levels produced by high concentrations of secretoneurin and other secretogranin II-derived peptides reflect, perhaps, a potential neurotoxicity produced by abnormal accumulation of these peptides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines the possibility that lesions induced by intrastriatal injections of endothelin-1 (ET-1, 0.43 nmol/0.5 µl) are ischemic in nature due to a vasoconstriction of the cerebral microvessels. In time course and dose-response experiments with ET-1 and in comparisons with ET-3, the volume of the lesions has been determined based mainly on the disappearance of striatal nerve cells, using a computer assisted morphometrical analysis. The blood flow in the neostriatum close to the site of injection of ET-1 was determined acutely by Laser-Doppler flowmetry. The acute metabolic effects of ET-1 were also studied on striatal superfusate levels of lactate, pyruvate, dopamine and its metabolites DOPAC (3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid) and homovanilic acid (HVA) using an instrastriatal microdialysis probe. Dose related striatal lesions were observed with ET-1 (0.043-0.43 nmol) with a peak lesion volume after 24-48 h and the possible existence of a penumbra area. ET-3 showed a reduced potency to produce striatal lesions compared to ET-1. The lesions induced by ET-1 were prevented by coinjection with dihydralazine, a vasodilator drug. Acutely ET-1 (0.43 nmol/0.5 µl) produced a prolonged reduction of the cerebral blood flow down to 40% of control values and temporary increases of striatal lactate and DA efflux, the latter change being very marked. Also a significant reduction of DOPAC and HVA was observed. These neurochemical changes were all prevented by treatment with dihydralazine. These results indicate that ET-1 injected in the neostriatum may produce lesions by causing local ischemia, related to its vasoconstrictor activity and possibly also to an activation of ET-1 receptors in the astroglial-endothelial complex. Based on the present results it seems possible that ET-1 may participate in the multifactorial pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is immunohistochemical evidence suggesting that glutamate (Glu) is released from nerve terminals and acts, via several receptor subtypes, as a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the cortico-striatal pathway of the rat. Aspartate (Asp) is also present in cortico-striatal neurons, but its role as a neurotransmitter has been questioned, since, in contrast to Glu, it has not been demonstrated in presynaptic vesicles. Glu and Asp can be found at sub μM concentrations in the extracellular compartment of most areas of the basal ganglia. Their concentrations are largely regulated by transport mechanisms, but also by a synaptotagmin-dependent exocytotic release, and are sufficiently high to occupy junctional and extrajunctional receptors. We have investigated whether Glu and Asp release in the neostriatum can be selectively modulated by different neuronal systems. Dopamine (DA) and cholecystokinin (CCK) selectively stimulate Asp release, via D1 and CCKB receptor subtypes, respectively. Also opioid κ-agonists increase Asp release. We propose that the selective modulation of Asp release by D1−, CCKB- and κ agonists involves striatal neurons containing Asp, but not Glu. In contrast, local perfusion with the , μ-opioid antagonist D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Orn-ThrPen-Thr-NH2 (CTOP) increases both Glu and Asp release. This effect is probably exerted on cortico-striatal terminals, via presynaptic inhibitory μ-receptors. Thus, these results demonstrate that extracellular levels of Glu and Asp are modulated differentially by different neuronal systems, and suggest that in the neostriatum of the rat there are neuronal populations using Glu and/or Asp as messenger(s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neuronal origin of extracellular levels of dopamine (DA), acetylcholine (ACh), glutamate (Glu), aspartate (Asp) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) simultaneously collected from the neostriatum of halothane anaesthetized rats with in vivo microdialysis was studied. The following criteria were applied (1) sensitivity to K-depolarization; (2) sensitivity to inhibition of synaptic inactivation mechanisms; (3) sensitivity to extracellular Ca; (4) neuroanatomical regionality; sensitivity to selective lesions and (5) sensitivity to chemical stimulation of the characterized pathways. It was found that: (1) Extracellular DA levels found in perfusates collected from the neostriatum fulfills all the above criteria and therefore the changes in extracellular DA levels measured with microdialysis reflect actual release from functionally active nerve terminals, and so reflect ongoing synaptic transmission. (2) Changes in neostriatal ACh levels reflect neuronal activity, provided that a ACh-esterase inhibitor is present in the perfusion medium. (3) Extracellular Glu, Asp and GABA could be measured in different perfusion media in the rat neostriatum and probably reflect metabolic as well as synaptic release. However, (4) the majority of the extracellular GABA levels found in perfusates collected from the neostriatum may reflect neuronal release, since GABA levels were increased, in a Ca-dependent manner, by K-depolarization, and could be selectively decreased by an intrinsic neostriatal lesion. (5) It was not possible to clearly distinguish between the neuronal and the metabolic pools of Glu and Asp, since neostriatal Glu and Asp levels were only slightly increased by K-depolarization, and no changes were seen after decortication. A blocker of Glu re-uptake, DHKA, had to be included in the perfusion medium in order to monitor the effect of K-depolarization on Glu and Asp levels. Under this condition, it was found (6) that neostriatal Glu and Asp levels were significantly increased by K-depolarization, although only increases in the Glu levels were sensitive to Ca in the perfusion medium, suggesting that Glu but not Asp is released from vesicular pools. (7) Evidence is provided that selective stimulations of nigral DA cell bodies may lead to changes in release patterns from DA terminals in the ipsilateral neostriatum, which are in turn followed by discrete changes in extracellular levels of GABA and Glu in the same region. Finally, some methodological considerations are presented to clarify the contribution of neuronal release to extracellular levels of amino acid neurotransmitters in the rat neostriatum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]