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Second‐by‐second measurement of acetylcholine release in prefrontal cortex
Author(s) -
Bruno John P.,
Gash Clelland,
Martin Brad,
Zmarowski Amy,
Pomerleau Francois,
Burmeister Jason,
Huettl Peter,
Gerhardt Greg A.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2006.05176.x
Subject(s) - acetylcholine , chemistry , microdialysis , microelectrode , choline oxidase , choline , cholinergic , in vivo , acetylcholinesterase , ascorbic acid , biophysics , biochemistry , pharmacology , medicine , electrode , enzyme , extracellular , microbiology and biotechnology , food science , biology
Microdialysis has been widely used to measure acetylcholine (ACh) release in vivo and has provided important insights into the regulation of cholinergic transmission. However, microdialysis can be constrained by limited spatial and temporal resolution. The present experiments utilize a microelectrode array (MEA) to rapidly measure ACh release and clearance in anaesthetized rats. The array electrochemically detects, on a second‐by‐second basis, changes in current selectively produced by the hydrolysis of ACh to choline (Ch) and the subsequent oxidation of choline and hydrogen peroxidase (H 2 O 2 ) at the electrode surface. In vitro calibration of the microelectrode revealed linear responses to ACh ( R 2 = 0.9998), limit of detection of 0.08 µ m , and signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3.0. The electrode was unresponsive to ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), or norepinephrine (NE) interferents. In vivo experiments were conducted in prefrontal cortex (PFC) of anaesthetized rats. Pressure ejections of ACh (10 m m ; 40 nL) through an adjoining micropipette produced a rapid rise in current, reaching maximum amplitude in ∼1.0 s and cleared by 80% within 4–11 s. Endogenously released ACh, following local depolarization with KCl (70 m m ; 40, 160 nL), was detected at values as low as 0.05 µ m . These signals were volume‐dependent and cleared within 4–12 s. Finally, nicotine (1.0 m m , 80 nL) stimulated ACh signals. Nicotine‐induced signals reflected the hydrolysis of ACh by endogenous acetylcholinesterase (AChE) as inhibition of the enzyme following perfusion with neostigmine (10 µ m ) attenuated the signal (40–94%). Collectively, these data validate a novel method for rapidly measuring cholinergic transmission in vivo with a spatial and temporal resolution that far exceeds conventional microdialysis.