Long-term effects of pergolide and (-)-deprenyl on H-3-mazindol and H-3-spiperone binding in rat brains

The effects of long-term administration of the putative neuroprotective age nts pergolide and (-)-deprenyl was assessed by studying H-3-mazindol and H- 3-spiperone binding at 12 and 20 months in the major dopamine brain regions . Male Wistar rats were treated from 3 to 20 months, together with their re spective untreated and saline injected control groups. The main findings we re: 1) there was a decrease in both H-3-mazindol and H-3-spiperone binding with age between 12 and 20 months; 2) there were no differences at 20 month s between the pergolide or the (-)-deprenyl treated groups and their contro ls, thus providing no evidence for long-term neuroprotection; and 3) there was a marked decrease in H-3-mazindol binding in the injected controls comp ared with the untreated controls at both 12 and 20 months. This raises the possibility that mild chronic stress may accelerate the aging of the dopami ne system. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.