The role of striatal G alpha(q/11) protein in methamphetamine-induced behavioral sensitization in mice

Abstract

G alpha(q/11) protein transducer signals from neurotransmitter receptors and has been implicated in several functions of the central nervous system. In this study, the role of G alpha(q/11) protein in methamphetamine (METH)-induced behavioral sensitization was investigated using neurochemical and behavioral approaches. Repeated treatment with METH (2 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) significantly increased behavioral sensitization as well as G alpha(q/11) protein expression and G alpha protein activity in the striata of mice, while a single treatment of METH at the same dose did not affect these parameters. Repeated intrastriatal injections of a G alpha(q/11) inhibitor, [D-Trp7,9,10]-substance P, significantly reduced behavioral sensitization and striatal dopamine (DA) level in response to METH, with no effect on striatal tyrosine hydroxylase expression. These results suggest that G alpha(q/11) protein facilitates METH-induced behavioral sensitization by modulating DA release in the mouse striatum © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved