Blockade of D1 dopamine receptors in the medial prefrontal cortex attenuates amphetamine- and methamphetamine-induced locomotor activity in the rat

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a component of the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system involved in psychostimulant-induced hyperactivity and previous studies have shown that altering DA transmission or D2 receptors within the mPFC can decrease this stimulant effect. The goal of this study was to investigate a potential modulatory role for D1 receptors in the mPFC in amphetamine (AMPH)- and methamphetamine (METH)-induced hyperactivity. Locomotor activity in an open-field arena was measured in male, Sprague-Dawley rats given an intra-mPFC infusion of vehicle or the D1 receptor antagonist SCH 23390 (0.25 or 1.0 mu g) prior to systemic (i.p.) injection of saline, AMPH (1 mg(kg), or METH (1 mg(kg). We found that SCH 23390 produced a dose-dependent decrease in AMPH- and METH-induced locomotion and rearing but had no significant effect on spontaneous behavior that occurred following systemic saline injections. Because SCH 23390 has been shown to have agonist-like properties at S-HT2C receptors, a follow-up experiment was performed to determine if this contributed to the attenuation of METH-induced activity that we observed. Rats were given intra-mPFC infusions of both SCH 23390 (1.0 mu g) and the 5-HT2C antagonist RS 102221 (0.25 mu g) prior to METH (1 mg(kg, i.p.). The addition of the 5-HT2C antagonist failed to alter SCH 23390-induced decreases in METH-induced locomotion and rearing; infusion of RS 102221 alone had no significant effects on locomotion and produced a non-significant decrease in rearing. The results of these studies suggest that D1 activation in the mPFC plays a significant role in AMPH- and METH-induced hyperactivity. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.