Abstract
The neurochemical transmitter dopamine (DA) is implicated in a number of diseases states, including Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, and drug abuse. DA terminal fields in the dorsal striatum and core region of the nucleus accumbens in the rat brain are organized as heterogeneous domains exhibiting fast and slow kinetic of DA release. The rates of dopamine release are significantly and substantially faster in the fast domains relative to the slow domains. The striatum is composed of a mosaic of spatial compartments known as the striosomes (patches) and the matrix. Extensive literature exists on the spatial organization of the patch and matrix compartments and their functions. However, little is known about these compartments as they relate to fast and slow kinetic DA domains observed by fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV). Thus, we combined high spatial resolution of FSCV with detailed immunohistochemical analysis of these architectural compartments (patch and matrix) using fluorescence microscopy. Our findings demonstrated a direct correlation between patch compartments with fast domain DA kinetics and matrix compartments to slow domain DA kinetics. We also investigated the kinetic domains in two very distinct sub-regions in the striatum, the lateral dorsal striatum (LDS) and the medial dorsal striatum (MDS). The lateral dorsal striatum as opposed to the medial dorsal striatum is mainly governed by fast kinetic DA domains. These finding are highly relevant as they may hold key promise in unraveling the fast and slow kinetic DA domains and their physiological significance.Graphical abstract
Highlights
Dopamine (DA) is an immensely important neurotransmitter in the central nervous system
Measurements of extracellular DA in the rat striatum during electrical stimulation of nigrostriatal DA axons in the MFB have revealed that the striatal DA terminal field forms a patchwork of distinct fast and slow kinetic domains [11, 38]
The findings of this study support the conclusion that the patchwork of fast and slow kinetic domains within the striatal DA terminal field correspond, respectively, to the patch and matrix striatal compartments
Summary
Dopamine (DA) is an immensely important neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. It contributes to motor control, responses to reward, the regulation of mood and anxiety, and several other brain functions [1, 2]. Pathology of DA is clearly implicated in Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and substance abuse [3,4,5,6,7]. Drugs that target DA have wide-ranging therapeutic applications as well as illicit uses. For these reasons, understanding brain DA activity per se and the actions of DA-targeting drugs is highly significant [8, 9].
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