Articles: homovanillic-acid.
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Not all the mechanisms by which subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) alleviates parkinsonian symptoms have been clarified as yet. The levels of striatal monoamine and the subthalamic beta activity might contribute to its efficacy. However, their direct relationship is unclear. We aimed to examine the correlation between the striatal monoamine and the STN beta activity induced by STN-DBS. ⋯ STN-DBS could decrease the levels of DOPAC and the STN beta power in a PD model rat. The STN beta power and the levels of striatal monoamine might be differentially correlated between normal and PD model rats.
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The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of opicapone, a third generation nitrocatechol catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor, on the systemic and central bioavailability of 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (levodopa) and related metabolites in the cynomolgus monkey. ⋯ Opicapone behaved as long-acting COMT inhibitor that markedly increased systemic and central levodopa bioavailability. Opicapone is a strong candidate to fill the unmet need for COMT inhibitors that lead to more sustained levodopa levels in Parkinson's disease patients.
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Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by progressive dopamine (DA) depletion in the striatum. Exercise has been shown to be a promising non-pharmacological approach to reduce the risk of neurodegeneration diseases. This study was designed to investigate the potential neuroprotective effect of swimming training (ST) in a mouse model of PD induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in mice. ⋯ The mechanisms involved in this study are the modulation of GPx, GR and GST activities as well as IL-1β level in a PD model induced by 6-OHDA, protecting against the decrease of DA, DOPAC and HVA levels in the striatum of mice. These findings reinforce that one of the effects induced by exercise on neurodegenerative disease, such as PD, is due to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. We suggest that exercise attenuates cognitive and motor declines, depression, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation induced by 6-OHDA supporting the hypothesis that exercise can be used as a non-pharmacological tool to reduce the symptoms of PD.
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Currently, several studies addresses the novel link between sleep and dopaminergic neurotransmission, focusing most closely on the mechanisms by which Parkinson's disease (PD) and sleep may be intertwined. Therefore, variations in the activity of afferents during the sleep cycles, either at the level of DA cell bodies in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and/or substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) or at the level of dopamine (DA) terminals in limbic areas may impact functions such as memory. Accordingly, we performed striatal and hippocampal neurochemical quantifications of DA, serotonin (5-HT) and metabolites of rats intraperitoneally treated with haloperidol (1.5 mg/kg) or piribedil (8 mg/kg) and submitted to REM sleep deprivation (REMSD) and sleep rebound (REB). ⋯ Conversely, the activation of D2 receptor counteracted such memory impairment. Therefore, the present evidence reinforce that the D2 receptor is a key player in the SNpc neuronal activation mediated by REMSD, as a consequence these changes may have direct impact for cognitive and sleep abnormalities found in patients with PD. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'The Synaptic Basis of Neurodegenerative Disorders'.
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Sex differences in the visual system have been reported in aspects of human vision, such as color perception, peripheral vision and even in the activation of the primary visual cortex. Similarly sex differences have been identified in the visual system of laboratory animals such as monkeys and rats. On the other hand, environmental enrichment (EE) has long been known to affect visual tissues. ⋯ Late enrichment increased the serotonergic activity in the retina and visual cortex of both sexes (P90-P150), but increased the dopaminergic activity in the visual cortex only in male animals. In the present study we expose marked sex differences in the neurochemistry of visual tissues and we demonstrate for the first time that EE can in fact modify the serotonergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission in the retina and visual cortex. Overall, the present study underpins the sex-dependent neurochemical status of the visual system and provides insights into the different mechanisms underlying visual processing in the two sexes.