Dopamine D2 and Adenosine A2A roles:Tremulous Movements

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Symptoms of parkinsonism, such as akinesia, bradykinesia, and tremor, can be caused by degeneration of dopamine (DA) neurons, or by administration of DA antagonist drugs. Parkinsonism is characterized by a cascade of neurochemical events that reflect interactions between several neurotransmitters in the circuitry of the basal ganglia, including DA, acetylcholine, serotonin, GABA and adenosine. Within the last few years, increasing evidence has accumulated indicating that central adenosine neurons play an important role in modulating the functional circuitry of the basal ganglia. Several subtypes of adenosine receptors are involved in motor function, and anatomical studies have demonstrated that the adensonine A2A receptor subtype has a relatively high degree of expression within the striatum. Although several types of striatal cells contain some adensonine A2A receptors, these receptors are present in very high densities on striatopallidal neurons, which also tend to co-express DA D2 receptors and enkephalin. It has been suggested that antagonists of adenosine A2A receptors could have some potential utility as antiparkinsonian drugs. In a recent study from our laboratory, it was demonstrated that IP injections of the adenosine A2A antagonist, KF17837, also suppressed haloperidol-induced tremulous jaw movements, and reversed the locomotor suppression induced by this D2 antagonist. This profile of activity is consistent with the hypothesis that antagonism of adenosine A2A receptors can result in antiparkinsonian effects in animal models. The proposed experiments are designed to investigate the role of the striatopallidal GABAergic pathway as a possible mediator of the putative antiparkinsonian effects of adenosine A2A antagonists. These proposed studies will focus on the tremulous jaw movement model, which is related to parkinsonian tremor. It is hypothesized that adenosine A2A antagonists are acting on striatopallidal GABAergic neurons that also express DA D2 receptors. In view of research showing that haloperidol increases extracellular GABA in globus pallidus, and that haloperidol-induced tremulous jaw movements are reduced by pallidal injections of bicuculline, it is hypothesized that doses of adenosine A2A antagonists that reduce jaw movement activity also will reduce haloperidol-induced increases in GABA release in globus pallidus. In addition, it is hypothesized that adenosine agonists and antagonists will interact to regulate the behavioral and neurochemical effects of haloperidol. These hypotheses will be investigated using studies that involve both systemic and intrastriatal injections of drugs that act upon A2A receptors, and the proposed work will involve a combination of behavioral pharmacology and microdialysis methods. This research is designed to enhance our understanding of the neurotransmitter interactions that are involved in the generation of tremulous movements, and to foster the development of new drugs for the treatment of parkinsonism.