Striatonigral projections

EFFECTS OF AMPHETAMINE ON TERMINAL EXCITABILITY OF STRIATONIGRAL PROJECTION NEURONS IN BEHAVING RATS... 

Ryan, L.J. Young, S.J. Segal, D.S. and Groves, P.M. Antidromieally-identified striatonigral projection neurons in the ehronieally-implanted, behaving rat Relations of cell firing to amphetamine-indueed behaviors. Behav Neurosci, in press. 

Robertson GS, Vincent SR, Fibiger HC (1990) Striatonigral projection neurons contain D, dopamine receptor-activated c-fos. Brain Res 523 288-290. 

The segregation or abundance of Di and D2 DA receptor subtypes on the direct and indirect striatal projection neurons indicates that the dopaminergic input arising from midbrain cell groups affects differentially the function of the striatal neuronal populations. At the striatal level, DA appears to facilitate the striatonigral neurons of the direct pathway through Di receptors, and to inhibit the striatopallidal neurons of the indirect pathway through D2 receptors. 

Treatment with NMDA receptor antagonists leads to a marked, dose-dependent increase of amphetamine-induced dopamine release (Miller and Abercrombie, 1996). In schizophrenics, this amphetamine-induced dopamine release is much higher compared to healthy controls (LarueUe et al., 1996). This observation is in accordance with the view that activation of the nigrostriatal dopamine system can take place by opposing activation of inhibitory striatonigral GABAergic projection neurons (Carlsson et al., 2001). 

Hedreen JC, DeLong MR (1991) Organization of striatopallidal, striatonigral, and nigrostriatal projections in the macaque. J. Comp. Neurol, 304, 569-595. 

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