Dopamine modulation of glutamate metabotropic receptors in conditioned reaction of sensory motor cortex neurons of the cat

Abstract

The dopamine modulation of microiontophoretic application of antagonists of glutamate metabotropic synaptic transmission was studied in the sensory motor cortex of awake cats during instrumental conditioned reflex. The substances depressed the background and intensity of evoked impulse activity of pyramidal neurons of the sensory-motor cortex and provoked significant increases in the latency of impulse reaction and corresponding conditioned movements of animals. Simultaneous application of the antagonists and dopamine (DA) eliminated their depression of the background and evoked activity of neurons and decreased the latency of the impulse reactions and movements. Similar qualitative effects were observed in experiments with simultaneous application of biccuculine and (RS)-alpha-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine. It is supposed that the DA modulation in the brain consists in stabilizing the background and evoked activity of cortical neurons during reduced intensity of metabotropic glutamatergic synaptic transmission. Such modulation can be important when considering some pathological disorders of glutamatergic transmission.