The changes of neurotransmitters and cellular reactions in the rats with methamphetamine injection

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To evaluate the time course changes of extracellular amino acid concentrations in the rat striatum and hippocampus, methamphetamine injection combined with an in vivo brain microdialysis technique was applied. After the injection of methamphetamine, extracellular glutamate and dopamine levels were significantly increased in striatum and hippocampus. However, the elevation of glutamate level was almost the same to saline injection cases. The elevation of dopamine level was several to hundred times as compared to saline injection cases. The changes of dopamine levels was much greater in striatum than in hippocampus. The peculiar neurological and psychiatric manifestations were also observed in the cases of rats injected by methamphetamine. Our results suggest that these clinical symptoms were due to the rapid increasing of extracellular dopamine level in striatum, not glutamate.Histopathological examinations were performed in the brain tissues of rats injected methamphetamine. Morphologically, significant changes were not observed. However, immunohistochemical staining revealed that HSP-72 showed positive reaction in some glial cells in striatum. These results suggested that methamphetamine was closely related to the signal transduction systems in the cerebrum.In human autopsy case who died strongly suspected due to the methamphetamine addiction, marked fragmentations of muscle fibers were observed in the heart muscle by histological examination. HSP-72 was also detected in some cardiac muscle fibers and cerebral glial cells by immunohistochemical staining. These results suggested that an certain effect to the heart muscle should be in methamphetamine injection cases.