Differentiation of basal ganglia dopaminergic involvement in behavior after hippocampectomy

John H. Hannigan, Joe E. Springer, Robert L. Isaacson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

Large bilateral aspiration lesions of the hippocampus in rats lead to a variety of changes in spontaneous behavior measured in an open field/hole board, relative to sham and neocortically lesioned controls. These changes include increased locomotion, and decreased grooming frequency and rearing bout duration. When animals were injected with the dopamine (DA) agonist 3,4-dihydroxyphenylamino-2-imidazoline (DPI: 0.5, 1.0 and 5.0 μg) into the nucleus accumbens one week after surgery, the behavior of hippocampally lesioned rats was restored to levels not different from control lesioned rats. Haloperidol injections (0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 μg) into the caudate nucleus were not able to do this. Further, DPI injected into the caudate nucleus one month after surgery was also able to attenuate some of the effects of hippocampal damage. On the other hand, haloperidol injections into the nucleus accumbens did not influence behavior. The results are interpreted in terms of hippocampal lesion-induced alteration of a balance in basal ganglia DA systems, indicated by modified response to pharmacological intervention and which mediate the behavioral effects of the lesion.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)83-91
Number of pages9
JournalBrain Research
Volume291
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 16 1984

Keywords

  • caudate nucleus
  • dopamine
  • hippocampal lesions
  • nucleus accumbens

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Clinical Neurology
  • Developmental Biology

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