Unbalanced Inhibitory/Excitatory Responses in the Substantia Nigra Pars Reticulata Underlie Cannabinoid-Related Slowness of Movements.

ABSTRACT: The substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr), where the basal ganglia (BG) direct and indirect pathways converge, contains among the highest expression of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1r) in the brain. Hence, SNr is an ideal locus to study pathway interactions and cannabinergic modulations. The objective of this study was to characterize the effects of systemic injections of the CB1r agonist (CP55940) on the balanced activity of the direct/indirect pathways in the SNr and its associated behaviors. To this aim, we recorded somatosensory and pathway-specific representations in the spiking activity of the SNr of male rats under CP55940. CB1r activation mainly decreased the inhibitory, potentially direct pathway component while sparing the excitatory, potentially indirect pathway component of

SUBMITTER: Baez-Cordero AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7380975 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature