Effects of prefrontal cortex microinjection of neurotensin-(8-13) on midbrain dopamine and non-dopamine cell firing

Effects of prefrontal cortex microinjections of 0.3 and 3 nmol/0.5 mu l of neurotensin-(8-13) on the firing rate of midbrain dopamine and non-dopamine cells were studied in urethane-anesthetized rats. Neurotensin produced an increase in firing in 14 of 26 dopamine cells tested, an effect that peaked between 15 and 20 min after the injection at both doses. On the Ether hand , a majority of non-dopamine cells (7/10) tested with the higher dose of ne urotensin showed a statistically significant decrease in firing when compar ed to saline, an effect that also peaked between 15 and 20 min. These resul ts show that prefrontal cortex neurotensin can modulate both dopamine and n on-dopamine neurotransmission in the ventral midbrain. (C) 2000 Elsevier Sc ience BN. All rights reserved.