Cognitive and motor shifting aptitude disorder in Parkinson's disease.

Eighteen patients suffering from Parkinson's disease and nineteen control subjects, who were matched for age and intelligence, were compared in tests measuring "shifting aptitude" at cognitive and motor levels (word production, sorting blocks or animals, and finger pushing sequences). It was found that Parkinson patients produced fewer different names of animals and professions in one minute than control subjects, needed more trials for detecting a shift in a sorting criterion, and produced fewer finger responses in a change of pushing sequence than control subjects. These results are interpreted as reflecting a central programming deficit that manifests itself in verbal, figural and motor modalities, that is, a diminished "shifting aptitude" characteristic of patients with dysfunctioning basal ganglia.

The striato-nigro-collicular pathway and explosive running behaviour: functional interaction between neostriatal dopamine and collicular GABA.

The nature of the functional interaction between neostriatal dopamine activity and collicular GABA activity was studied. To this end we analyzed the ability of apomorphine injections into the neostriatum (50-500 ng/0.5 microliters per side) to reinitiate explosive running behaviour in rats pretreated with a subthreshold dose of picrotoxin into the colliculus superior (30-80 ng/0.

Basal ganglia and Parkinson's disease: neurobiological and pharmacological aspects in animals and man.

In this article, the neuroanatomy, neurochemistry and neurobiology of the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic circuitries of animals and man will be reviewed in order to gain insight into the pathognomy and etiology of cognitive and motor disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease, to increase insight into the mechanism of action of present-day antiparkinson agents, and to open perspectives for the design and development of new antiparkinson agents on a rational basis.

Picrotoxin microinjections into the brain: a model of abrupt withdrawal 'jumping' behaviour in rats not exposed to any opiate?

Picrotoxin microinjections (0.5 microliter per side) given into the locus coeruleus, superior colliculus and central grey of freely moving Wistar rats produced an accelerating galloping locomotion, most often forwards but also upwards. Systemic administration of apomorphine (0.

Involvement of the septum in central dopamine-acetylcholine interactions in morphine-treated cats.

The involvement of the septum in central dopamine-acetylcholine (DA-ACh) interactions was investigated by analysis of the behavioural effects of intracerebrally injected drugs in cats pretreated with morphine (5 mg/kg, IP). The intracerebrally evoked effects on the morphine-induced behaviour were analyzed both quantitatively (changes in the incidence of locomotor patterns) and qualitatively (changes in the stereotyped nature of the behaviour patterns). Activation of a particular subclass of dopamine receptors (DAi receptors) within the septum by means of the DAi agonist (3,4-dihydroxyphenylamino)-2-imidazoline (DPI) suppressed the effect of intraseptal injections of the cholinergic agonist carbachol.

(3,4-Dihydroxyphenylimino)-2-imidazoline (DPI) and its action at noradrenergic and dopaminergic receptors in the nucleus accumbens of rats: mesolimbic catecholamine receptors and hyperactivity.

Bilateral administration of ergometrine into the nucleus accumbens of rats pretreated 1-3 min earlier with intra-accumbens injections of noradrenaline, phenylephrine, clonidine and phentolamine has been found to produce a normal ergometrine-induced hyperactivity. In contrast, low doses of dopamine and (3,4-dihydroxyphenylimino)-2-imidazoline (DPI) and only high doses of clonidine and phentolamine have been found to attenuate the ergometrine response. These data together with the finding that phentolamine is unable to alter DPI's ability to suppress the ergometrine response provide direct evidence that the latter DPI effect is certainly not due to its ability to act as an agonist at alpha-NE receptors within the nucleus accumbens of rats.

Intraseptally injected opiate agents: effects on morphine-induced behaviour of cats.

Behavioural effects of intraseptally administered opiate agents were analyzed in cats pretreated with an intraperitoneal injection of morphine. In this way, it became possible to investigate (1) the involvement of septal opiate receptors in the behavioural response of cats to systemic administration of morphine, and (2) the pharmacological character of septal opiate receptors. The following results were obtained with intraseptal injections 15-16 min after intraperitoneal morphine: (1) naloxone decreased frequencies of head and limb movements, and (2) morphine was ineffective.

Evidence for a role of the caudate nucleus in the sequential organization of behavior.

Behavioural effects of the cholinergics carbachol and atropine given by means of telestimulation were studied in small groups of freely moving Java monkeys. The sequential structure of behavior was analyzed by assessing the contribution of the preceding behaviours of the treated monkey and its partners to the subsequent behaviour of the treated monkey, in terms of information-theoretical statistics. Carbachol increased the overall variability of behaviour in the treated monkey, enhanced the dependency between the preceding and subsequent behaviour of the treated monkey, and slightly decreased the dependency between the current behaviour of the treated monkey and the preceding behavior of its partners.

The influence of asymmetrically distributed Ca2 on Na permeability of bovine brain phospholipid liposomes.

Liposomes prepared from bovine brain phospholipids in the absence of Ca2 spontaneously capture Na from the outside medium down a concentration gradient. When the Na concentration gradient is not yet completely equilibrated, addition of Ca2 causes an apparent efflux of Na against this gradient. This efflux cannot exclusively be ascribed to increased permeability as a consequence of asymmetrical distribution of Ca2.

Presence of a particular subpopulation of dopamine receptors within the septal nuclei: a behavioural study on cats.

The behavioural effects of intraseptal administration of dopaminergic drugs (apomorphine, haloperidol, (3,4-dihydroxy-phenylamino)-2-imidazoline (DPI), ergometrine and dopamine) and alpha-noradrenergic drugs (oxymetazoline, noradrenaline and phentolamine) were analysed in cats pretreated with morphine (5 mg/kg, i.p.).

Role of the neostriatal dopaminergic activity in sequencing and selecting behavioural strategies: facilitation of processes involved in selecting the best strategy in a stressful situation.

The purpose of this study was to detect the behavioural effect of drug-induced changes in the neostriatal dopaminergic activity upon the degree of intrinsic (self-generated) and extrinsic (externally produced) constraints on the selection of behavioural patterns in rats. Both systemic and neostriatal injections of extremely low doses of apomorphine and haloperidol were used to change the neostriatal dopaminergic activity. Behavioural changes were observed in (a) an open-field test, (b) a so-called 'swimming without escape' test, (c) a so-called 'swimming with escape' test, and (d) a test to detect deficiencies in sensory, motor and sensorimotor capacities required to perform both swimming tests.

Locus coeruleus and substantia nigra: involvement in morphine-induced behavior.

Cats pretreated with morphine (5 mg/kg, IP) received naloxone into the area of the locus coeruleus (LC) or the area of the substantia nigra (SN). The LC-treated animals stopped the morphine-induced stereotyped behavior and showed normal but hyperactive behavior. The SN-treated animals, however, ceased their movements of the head and the forelegs, adopted a rigid posture with extended forelegs and became hypoactive.