Interactions between imidazoline binding sites and dopamine levels in the rat nucleus accumbens
by
Barrot M, Rettori MC, Guardiola-Lemaitre B,
Jarry C, Le Moal M, Piazza PV
Laboratoire de Psychobiologie des Comportements Adaptatifs, INSERM U259, Rue Camille Saint-Saens, 33077 Bordeaux Cedex, France; Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier, 6 place des Pleiades, 92415 Courbevoie Cedex, France; Laboratoire de Chimie Physique, Universite Victor Segalen, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex, France.
Eur J Neurosci 2000 Dec; 12(12):4547-4551

ABSTRACT

Imidazoline binding sites are present in the striatal complex and in the extended amygdala and have been implicated in mood disorders. In this report we analysed the influence of these sites on the functional activity of the mesolimbic dopaminergic transmission, one of the major brain systems involved in the regulation of motivation and reward. We studied the effects of two imidazoline ligands, S23229 and S23230 (respectively S(+) and R(-) enantiomers of the S22687 or (5-[2-methyl phenoxy methyl] 1,3-oxazolin-2-yl) amine), on extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens using microdialysis in freely moving rats. We compared these imidazoline ligands to cocaine, a dopamine uptake blocker known to increase extracellular dopamine concentrations. S23229 dose-dependently increased extracellular dopamine and locomotor activity. S23230 dose-dependently increased extracellular dopamine and produced a near-significant dose-effect on locomotor activity. S23229 had a stronger efficacy than S23230 and increased dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens at an extent similar to the one of cocaine. These results suggest that central imidazoline binding sites could contribute to the functional regulation of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system.

Dopamine
The evolution of suicide
Alpha2-adrenoreceptors
Noradrenaline and mood
Noradrenaline and dopamine
Imidazoline derivatives and MAO-b

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