Intranigral injections of glutamate antagonists modulate dopamine D1-mediated turning behavior and striatal c-fos expression

The contribution of the substantia nigra (SN) in the positive interaction between dopamine D1 receptor agonists and glutamate antagonists was studied in rats with a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion of dopaminergic nigro-striatal pathway. Local infusion into the SN of the 6-OHDA lesioned side of NMDA glutamate antagonists MK 801 and CPP or the AMPA antagonist NBQX at doses inducing none or minimal behavioral effects, significantly increased the turning behavior and the expression of c-fos induced, in the lesioned caudate-putamen (CPu), by a parenteral administration of SKF 38393. High doses of MK 801 or CPP infused into the SN produced intense contralateral turning per-se but induced only sparse c-fos expression in the lesioned CPu. The results show that a depression of SN pars reticulata efferent neurons, potentiates D1-mediated responses and suggest that this area may play a role in the positive interaction between glutamate antagonists and D1 receptor agonists.