Nitrous oxide reverses the increase in striatal dopamine release produced by N-methyl- d-aspartate infusion in the substantia nigra pars compacta in rats

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 343; no. 2; pp. 147 - 149
• Main Authors: Balon, Norbert, Dupenloup, Lydie, Blanc, François, Weiss, Michel, Rostain, Jean-Claude
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 05-06-2003; Elsevier
• Subjects: Analgesics, Non-Narcotic - pharmacology; Animals; Basal ganglia; Biological and medical sciences; Central nervous system; Central neurotransmission. Neuromudulation. Pathways and receptors; Corpus Striatum - drug effects; Corpus Striatum - metabolism; Dopamine - metabolism; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Interactions; Electrochemistry - methods; Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists - administration & dosage; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Male; N-Methylaspartate - pharmacology; Narcosis; Nitrous Oxide - pharmacology; Rat; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Substantia Nigra - anatomy & histology; Substantia Nigra - drug effects; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Voltammetry; Voltammetry; Basal ganglia; Rat; Narcosis; Dopamine; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Basal ganglion; Corpus striatum; Catecholamine; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Locus niger; Neurotransmitter; NMDA; Release; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3940(03)00340-9

Bilateral administration of NMDA (5×10
−10 mol) in the substantia nigra pars compacta increases the striatal dopamine (DA) release. However, this enhancing effect of NMDA was suppressed by nitrous oxide exposure at 0.1 MPa, which induced per se a decrease of the DA release. These results show that nitrous oxide exerts a reversal effect on the increase in striatal DA release produced by NMDA receptor activation in the substantia nigra pars compacta. This observation may be related to the fact that nitrous oxide is thought to produce its effects by acting as an NMDA receptor antagonist.