Activation of mesocortical dopaminergic system in the rat in response to neonatal medial prefrontal cortex lesions. Concurrence with functional sparing.
Brain Res
; 581(1): 1-9, 1992 May 22.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-1498659
ABSTRACT
Neonatal lesions of the medial part of the rat prefrontal cortex (mPFC) (performed at the age of 6 days) resulted in a sparing in the performance of spatial delayed alternation (SDA) and an increase in dopaminergic (DA) innervation. The increased DA innervation was primarily observed in the remaining part of the mPFC. The DA fibre density was considerably higher in the non-ablated part of the mPFC, and the fibres were thicker with more large varicosities compared with sham-operated controls. Biochemical measurements showed a 3.5-fold increase in DA concentration in the remaining part of the mPFC of the animals with neonatal lesions when compared with the mPFC of sham-operated animals. In addition the DA metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were increased. The metabolite/transmitter ratios, indicating DA utilisation, did not significantly differ from controls. The increased DA innervation and the increased concentration of DA and its metabolites in the animals with neonatal lesions further support our hypothesis that the mesocortical DA system is involved in the neural mechanism of sparing of function observed after neonatal mPFC lesions. However, sparing of function in animals with no discernable mPFC forces us to conclude that this DA response cannot be the only factor involved in the mechanism of sparing of function.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Spatial Behavior
/
Dopamine
/
Cerebral Cortex
/
Frontal Lobe
/
Animals, Newborn
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
Brain Res
Year:
1992
Document type:
Article