Neostriatal glutamatergic system is involved in the pathogenesis of picrotoxin-induced choreomyoclonic hyperkinesis.

Abstract

Administration of dizocilpine (MK-801, noncompetitive antagonist of NMDA glutamate receptors) into the neostriatum decreased the reproducibility and duration of hyperkinesis in rats induced by repeated microinjections of GABA(A) receptor antagonist picrotoxin. By contrast, glutamate potentiated the hyperkinetic and convulsive effect of picrotoxin and promoted the inhibition of conditioned avoidance response. Our results indicate that the striatal glutamatergic system is involved in the development of locomotor and cognitive disorders associated with deficiency of the neostriatal GABAergic system and playing a role in the pathogenesis of Huntington's chorea.

• Authors: A F Yakimovskii, V M Varshavskaya
• Journal: Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine (Bull Exp Biol Med) Vol. 138 Issue 6 Pg. 533-6 (Dec 2004) ISSN: 0007-4888 [Print] United States
• PMID: 16134806 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• GABA-A Receptor Antagonists
• Picrotoxin
• Glutamic Acid

Topics

• Animals
• Corpus Striatum (physiology)
• GABA-A Receptor Antagonists
• Glutamic Acid (administration & dosage, pharmacology)
• Male
• Microinjections
• Picrotoxin (administration & dosage, pharmacology)
• Rats
• Rats, Wistar
• Reproducibility of Results