Striatal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in haloperidol-induced catalepsy

• Published in: European journal of pharmacology Vol. 203; no. 2; p. 173
• Main Authors: Yoshida, Y, Ono, T, Kizu, A, Fukushima, R, Miyagishi, T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 15.10.1991
• Subjects: Animals; Catalepsy - chemically induced; Catalepsy - drug therapy; Catalepsy - physiopathology; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; Corpus Striatum - drug effects; Corpus Striatum - ultrastructure; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; Glutamates - physiology; Glutamic Acid; Haloperidol; Male; N-Methylaspartate - pharmacology; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate - antagonists & inhibitors; Valine - analogs & derivatives; Valine - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0014-2999
• DOI: 10.1016/0014-2999(91)90712-Y

Bilateral ablation of the frontal cortex of rats markedly reduced the catalepsy induced by haloperidol (1 mg/kg i.p.). Similarly, the selective antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, D(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (10 micrograms/side), injected bilaterally into the rostral part of the caudate-putamen (CP) reduced haloperidol-induced catalepsy whereas its injection into the intermediate part of the CP was ineffective. The quisqualate receptor antagonist, L-glutamic acid diethyl ester (100 micrograms/side), did not affect haloperidol-induced catalepsy when injected into the rostral part of the CP. On the other hand, NMDA (1 micrograms/side) injected bilaterally into the rostral part of the CP was able to restore haloperidol-induced catalepsy in frontally decorticated rats without any notable cataleptic effect of its own. These findings suggest that a certain degree of tonic stimulatory effect of corticostriatal glutamatergic pathways on NMDA receptors within the rostral part of the CP is a prerequisite for the expression of the cataleptogenic action of haloperidol.