Modifications of Dopamine Receptors in Rat Striatum After Chronic Administration of L-Dopa

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the modifications of dopamine receptors in rat striatimi after chronic administration of L-Dopa. The appearance of Parkinson's disease symptoms is associated with a degeneration of many dopamine (DA) containing neurons located in the nigrostriatal pathway. The deficiency of DA that ensues can be partially corrected by chronic administration of L-Dopa which greatly improves the Parkinson's disease symptoms. However, as a consequence of this treatment, patients may develop side effects such as dyskinesia, on–off phenomena, or become refractory to the drug. The chapter presents the clarification whether the changes in DA receptor activity occur after a long term administration of L-Dopa in normal animals and in animals with a partial or total lesion of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6OH-DA). The chapter also discusses the effect of repeated injections of L-Dopa on DA receptors of rats with lesions of dopaminergic neurons.