Change in Catecholamine-Sensitive Na+,K+-ATPase Activity in the Rat Striatum Microsomes Following Elegtrolytic or 6-Hydroxydopamine-Induced Lesions of Dopaminergic Neurons

Ungerstedt (1) demonstrated that the degeneration of nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) system by microinjection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) produced a postsynaptic supersensitivity to inhibitory action of DA in the caudate neurons. Since then, there have been a number of reports concerned with the development of supersensitivity to DA in the caudate neurons following various procedures, e.g. surgical or chemical denervation of nigrostriatal DA neurons, sustained attenuation or blockade of dopaminergic transmission, etc. (2–6). DA stimulates the synthesis of cyclic AMP in the caudate nucleus (7) and, there is controversy about the role of adenylate cyclase in the development of supersensitivity (8–10).