Acamprosate blocks the increase in dopamine extracellular levels in nucleus accumbens evoked by chemical stimulation of the ventral hippocampus

• Published in: Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology Vol. 368; no. 4; pp. 324 - 327
• Main Authors: Cano-Cebrián, M J, Zornoza-Sabina, T, Guerri, C, Polache, A, Granero, L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 01.10.2003
• Subjects: Animals; Dopamine - cerebrospinal fluid; Dopamine - metabolism; Dopamine Antagonists - pharmacology; Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists - pharmacology; Extracellular Space - drug effects; Extracellular Space - metabolism; Hippocampus - drug effects; Hippocampus - physiology; Male; Microdialysis; N-Methylaspartate - pharmacology; Nucleus Accumbens - drug effects; Nucleus Accumbens - metabolism; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Stereotaxic Techniques; Stimulation, Chemical; Taurine - analogs & derivatives; Taurine - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0028-1298; 1432-1912
• DOI: 10.1007/s00210-003-0795-3

Recently, we have shown that acamprosate is able to modulate extracellular dopamine (DA) levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and may act as an antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Neurochemical studies show that chemical stimulation (using NMDA) of the ventral subiculum (vSub) of the hippocampus produces robust and sustained increases in extracellular DA levels in the NAc, an effect mediated through ionotropic glutamate (iGlu) receptors. The present study examines whether acamprosate locally infused in the NAc of rats could block or attenuate the increase in NAc extracellular DA elicited by chemical stimulation (with 5 mM NMDA) of the ventral subiculum of the hippocampus. The stimulation of the vSub during perfusion of artificial cerebrospinal fluid in NAc induced a significant and persistent increase in NAc DA levels. Reverse dialysis of 0.05 mM acamprosate in NAc blocked the increase in DA evoked by the chemical stimulation of the vSub. These data support the possibility that the antagonism at the NMDA receptors in NAc can explain, at least in part, the mechanism of action of this drug.