Glutamatergic Control of Striatal Dopamine Release in Normal Rats and 6-OHDA Rats with Intrastriatal Grafts

Recent animal experiments suggest that transplanted neurons become integrated with the host brain. Neuroanatomical studies have shown that transplanted dopaminergic neurons can form synaptic connections on target cells in the host striatum. Other studies also have shown that grafted neurons not only innervate the host striatum but also receive afferent inputs from neurons of the host. However, little is known about the dynamic regulation of graft-derived dopamine (DA) release by the host brain. In normal animals, cortical neuronal input to the striatum is carried mainly via glutamate (Glu) neurons. Interactions between DA and Glu in the striatum are shown by in vivo and in vitro studies. Using in vivo microdialysis, the present study was carried out in order to elucidate the effects of glutamatergic agonists and Glu blockade on DA release in the normal striatum and in the striatum of 6-OHDA rats with dopamine grafts.