The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology
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Int. J. Neuropsychopharmacol. · Oct 2009
Prefrontal cortical D1 dopamine receptors modulate subcortical D2 dopamine receptor-mediated stress responsiveness.
Increased responsiveness to stress plays an important role in the manifestation of schizophrenia symptoms. Evidence indicates that the prefrontal cortex (PFC), and dopamine neurotransmission in the PFC in particular, is involved in the modulation of stress responsiveness. Decreased dopaminergic activity and loss of dopamine fibres have been reported in PFC in schizophrenia patients. ⋯ This effect was significantly ameliorated by infusions of a D1 dopamine receptor agonist directly into the mPFC in a dose-dependent manner but not by infusion of a D2 dopamine receptor agonist. In addition, stress-induced behavioural changes in prefrontal cortical dopamine-depleted rats were significantly reduced following selective discrete infusions of a D2 dopamine receptor antagonist into the NAc shell. The results suggest that dopaminergic transmission via D1 receptors in the mPFC modulates D2 dopamine receptor-mediated stress responsiveness in the NAc, a feature that may be disrupted in schizophrenia patients.