The role of primary motor cortex (M1) glutamate and GABA signaling in L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in parkinsonian rats

Abstract

Long-term treatment of Parkinson’s disease with L-DOPA almost always leads to the development of involuntary movements termed L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. Whereas hyperdopaminergic signaling in the basal ganglia is thought to cause dyskinesia, alterations in primary motor cortex (M1) activity are also prominent during dyskinesia, suggesting that the cortex may represent a therapeutic target. The present study used the rat unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesion model of Parkinson’s disease to characterize in vivo changes inGABA and glutamate neurotransmission within M1 and determine their contribution to behavioral output. 6-Hydroxydopamine lesion led to parkinsonian motor impairment that was partially reversed by L-DOPA. Among sham-lesioned rats, L-DOPA did not change glutamate or GABA efflux. Likewise, 6-hydroxydopamine lesion did not impact GABA or glutamate among rats chronically treated with saline. However, we observed an interaction of lesion and treatment whereby, among lesioned rats, L-DOPA given acutely (1 d) or chronically (14–16 d) reduced glutamate efflux and enhanced GABA efflux. Site-specific microinjections into M1 demonstrated that L-DOPAinduced dyskinesia was reduced by M1 infusion of a D1 antagonist, an AMPA antagonist, or a GABAA agonist. Overall, the present study demonstrates that L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia is associated with increasedM1inhibition and that exogenously enhancingM1inhibition may attenuate dyskinesia, findings that are in agreement with functional imaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation studies in human Parkinson’s disease patients. Together, our study suggests that increasing M1 inhibitory tone is an endogenous compensatory response designed to limit dyskinesia severity and that potentiating this response is a viable therapeutic strategy.