Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 16, 1561-1569, Copyright © 1996 by Society for Neuroscience
Behavioral effects mediated by the modulatory glycine site of the NMDA receptor in the anterodorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens
BD Kretschmer and WJ Schmidt
Department of Neuropharmacology, University of Tubingen, Germany.
The striatum and the nucleus accumbens are the main input structures of the
basal ganglia (BG). They contribute differently to motor behavior
controlled by the BG in rats, e.g., stereo-typed behavior, catalepsy, and
locomotion. Whereas the striatum is predominantly involved in the control
of sniffing behavior and catalepsy, the nucleus accumbens contributes to
control of locomotion. To test whether the allosteric glycine site of the
NMDA receptor complex modulates these behavioral variables, we injected the
glycine-site antagonist 7-chlorokynurenate and the glycine-site agonist
D-serine into the anterodorsal striatum and the nucleus accumbens and
studied their influence on stereotypical snout contacts and locomotion.
Additionally, the effects of intrastriatal injections of 7-chlorokynurenate
on haloperidol- and SCH 23390-induced catalepsy were investigated.
7-Chlorokynurenate enhanced stereotypical snout contacts in the
anterodorsal striatum and in the nucleus accumbens but did not change
spontaneous locomotion in either of these structures. Haloperidol- but not
SCH 23390-induced catalepsy was attenuated by intrastriatally administered
7-chlorokynurenate. The glycine-site agonist D-serine had no effect on
stereotypical snout contacts and locomotion. The results suggest that motor
behavior mediated by the striatopallidal output pathway is modulated by the
glycine site, whereas motor behavior mediated by the accumbopallidal and
striatonigral output pathway is not.