ADRENAL-MEDULLARY GRAFTS RESTORE OLFACTORY DEFICITS AND CATECHOLAMINELEVELS OF 6-OHDA AMYGDALA LESIONED ANIMALS

Aside from motor and cognitive deficits Parkinson patients also manife st a little-studied olfactory deficit. Since in Parkinson's disease th ere is a dopamine depletion of the amygdala due to mesocorticolimbic s ystem degeneration, we decided to test olfactory and taste performance of 6-OHDA amygdala lesioned rats, as well as the possible restoration of either function with adrenal medullary transplants. Two 6-OHDA les ioned groups and one control group were tested in the potentiation of odor by taste aversion paradigm. On taste aversion none of the groups showed any impairment. In contrast, the 6-OHDA lesioned rats showed a marked impairment in olfactory aversion. At this point, one of the les ioned groups received a bilateral adrenal medullary graft within the l esioned area. After two months, all groups were submitted again to the behavioral paradigm. Taste remained unaffected, but the lesioned only group did not recover either olfactory aversion or normal catecholami ne levels. The grafted group, on the other hand, restored olfactory av ersion and catecholamine levels. It can be concluded from this study t hat catecholamine depletion of the amygdala is sufficient to produce a selective olfactory deficit, not accompanied by taste impairments, an d that such a deficit can be reversed by adrenal medullary transplants , which in turn restore catecholamine levels.