Unilateral fetal mesencephalic grafts in intact rats reduce amphetamine-induced dopamine release in both striata. An in vivo voltammetric study.
This study investigated amphetamine-induced striatal dopamine release after intraventricular unilateral fetal mesencephalic grafts in otherwise intact rats. Dopamine was monitored in vivo by differential pulse voltammetry. In grafted animals, amphetamine-induced dopamine release was decreased compared to sham-grafted, age-matched controls. This decrease was observed in the grafted as well as in the contralateral striatum five months after intraventricular grafting. There was no measurable effect of the graft on the amphetamine-induced rotational behaviour. Our results exceed former observations reporting decreased amphetamine-induced dopamine release in the contralateral striatum of 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned and unilaterally-grafted rats which had been attributed to a reduction of dopamine transporters. Furthermore, it was shown that concerning this effect ventral mesencephalic grafts are independent of a previous 6-hydroxydopamine lesion.