Behavioral and neurochemical effects of amfonelic acid on the spontaneously diabetic Wistar-BB rat: Implications of impaired dopamine function

Document Type

Article

Department

Brain and Mind Institute

Abstract

1. The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that the Spontaneously Diabetic Wistar-BB Rat (SDR) would manifest an altered behavioral and neurochemical response to the indirect dopamine (DA) agonist amfonelic acid (AFA).

2. The insulin treated male SDR (3–4 months diabetic) and matched controls were monitored for locomotor, floor (horizontal and lateral displacement) and rearing activity. Catecholamines and metabolites were analyzed using HPLC-EC.

3. Results obtained indicated that the SDR: i) is less sensitive to the behavioral effects of AFA than the controls; ii) following AFA treatment (1.0 mg/kg) a significantly greater depletion of dopamine in the striatum, hypothalamus, midbrain and olfactory bulbs as well as striatal norepinephrine was observed in the SDR as compared to controls. These results implicate a dysfunctional biosynthetic capacity for DA in the SDR.

Comments

This work was published before the author joined Aga Khan University.

Publication (Name of Journal)

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry

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