Age Differences in D1 and D2 Dopamine Receptor Agonist ...



Age Differences in D1 and D2 Dopamine Receptor Agonist-Induced Locomotion and Stereotypy

Laura Janine Buntrock

Mentor: Frances Leslie

Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by behavioral changes and neurochemical maturation of circuitry regulating the expression of motivated behaviors and locomotion. These circuits are based in the prefrontal cortex and the basal ganglia, and are critically modulated by dopamine acting at striatal D1 and D2 receptors. The restructuring of the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic dopamine systems and their targets during late childhood and adolescence manifests in an enhanced proclivity for disorders of dopamine imbalance (e.g. attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder) and a blunted response to psychcostimulants. To further understand the basis of these behavioral differences, this study aimed to determine if the sensitivity of D1 and D2 dopamine receptors changes with age. To do so, I administered direct D1 (SKF 83822) and D2 (quinpirole) agonists to adult and adolescent rats and then measured locomotor and stereotypic behaviors. My results show that the sensitivities of both receptors do change with age, and that there may be a shift from D2 receptor control of locomotion and stereotypy in adolescence to D1 receptor control in adulthood.

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