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A new autoradiographic approach for imaging forebrain dopamine distribution
Author(s) -
Wooten G. Frederick,
Horne Malcolm K.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410120206
Subject(s) - forebrain , striatum , dopamine , nucleus accumbens , olfactory tubercle , substantia nigra , dopaminergic , medial forebrain bundle , midbrain , habenula , medicine , neuroscience , endocrinology , chemistry , central nervous system , biology
Regional distribution of carbon 14 activity in the forebrain was studied autoradiographically following systemic administration of tracer doses of L ‐[ 14 C]‐dopa to rats pretreated with carbidopa. Five minutes after the injection, regional forebrain distribution of carbon 14 varied with regional cerebral blood flow. At 45 minutes, 2 hours, and 4 hours after administration of 14 C‐dopa, however, carbon 14 activity had accumulated selectively in forebrain regions rich in dopamine (e.g., the striatum, olfactory tubercle, and nucleus accumbens). A unilateral lesion of the substantia nigra markedly attenuated the accumulation of carbon 14 in the ipsilateral striatum, while reserpine pretreatment reduced by about 50% the accumulation of carbon 14 in the striatum bilaterally. These results outline a new autoradiographic method for mapping forebrain dopamine systems and suggest an approach to imaging brain dopaminergic neurons in humans by positron emission tomography.