Correlation between activity pattern of midbrain dopaminergic neurons and spontaneous brain state alternations in urethane anaesthetised rats

• Autorzy: Walczak M. , Blasiak T.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Dopaminergic midbrain neurons are able to generate two distinct patterns of electrical activity: tonic and bursting. The latter one is suggested to be essential for phasic dopamine release in target structures. It has been previously found that DA-like neurons change their pattern of activity during sleep, with prominent bursting during REM and tonic firing during nonREM phase. Since urethane anaesthesia is postulated to be a model of cyclic sleep-like alternations of the brain state, we have performed experiments aimed to correlate changes in the firing pattern of midbrain DA neurons with changes of the brain state. METHODS: We have performed extracellular in vivo recordings of midbrain DA neurons activity and simultaneous electrocorticographic monitoring of the brain state in urethane anesthetised Wistar rats. RESULTS: Obtained results showed that the activity pattern of putatively DA neurons in the ventral tegmental area subregions (VTA) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) strongly correlates with the cyclic changes in the brain state. This relationship was opposite to the one observed during natural sleep. Tonic firing pattern was dominating during cortical activation (REM-like state) whereas bursting was observed mainly during cortical deactivation (NonREM-like state). Magnitude of this phenomenon was strongly correlated with the anatomical localisation of the recorded neurons within the VTA subregions (PBP, PIF, PN). CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm that activity of midbrain DA neurons is correlated with alternating states of the brain and shows opposite correlation to the one observed in freely moving animals. They emphasize that the influence of anaesthetic drugs should be taken under consideration during the experiments on dopaminergic midbrain neurons.

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis
• Rocznik: 2015
• Tom: 75
• Numer: Supl.
• Opis fizyczny: p.S105

Twórcy

autor

Walczak M.

• Department of Neurophysiology and Chronobiology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland

autor

Blasiak T.

• Department of Neurophysiology and Chronobiology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland