Actions of dopamine antagonists on stimulated striatal and limbic dopamine release: an in vivo voltammetric study

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Abstract
1 Fast cyclic voltammetry at carbon fibre microelectrodes was used to study the effects of several dopamine antagonists upon stimulated dopamine release in the rat striatum and nucleus accumbens. 2 In both nuclei, stimulated dopamine release was increased by D2-receptor-selective and mixed D1/D2-receptor antagonists. The D1-selective antagonist SCH 23390 had no effect. 3 Striatal and limbic dopamine release were elevated by cis- but not trans-flupenthixol. 4 The ‘atypical’ neuroleptics (clozapine and thioridazine) did not cause a selective elevation of dopamine release in the limbic terminal region, whereas the non-antipsychotic drug metoclopramide increased dopamine release more in striatum than nucleus accumbens. 5 We conclude from this study that striatal and limbic dopamine release are under the control of a stereoselective dopamine D2-autoreceptor on the nerve terminal and that atypical neuroleptics do not show a limbic-selective effect at this receptor after acute administration.