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Volume 16, Number 22,
Issue of November 15, 1996
pp. 7308-7317
Copyright ©1996 Society for Neuroscience
An Explanation for Reflex Blink Hyperexcitability in Parkinson's
Disease. I. Superior Colliculus
Michele A. Basso1,
Alice S. Powers3, and
Craig Evinger2
1 Department of Psychology, and
2 Departments of Neurobiology and Behavior and
Ophthalmology, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794, and
3 Department of Psychology, St. John's University,
Jamaica, New York 11439
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
FOOTNOTES
REFERENCES
ABSTRACT
Hyperexcitable reflex blinks are a cardinal sign of Parkinson's
disease. We investigated the neural circuit through which a loss of
dopamine in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) leads to increased
reflex blink excitability. Through its inhibitory inputs to the
thalamus, the basal ganglia could modulate the brainstem reflex blink
circuits via descending cortical projections. Alternatively, with its
inhibitory input to the superior colliculus, the basal ganglia could
regulate brainstem reflex blink circuits via tecto-reticular
projections. Our study demonstrated that the basal ganglia utilizes its
GABAergic input to the superior colliculus to modulate reflex blinks.
In rats with previous unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions of
the dopamine neurons of the SNc, we found that microinjections of
bicuculline, a GABA antagonist, into the superior colliculus of both
alert and anesthetized rats eliminated the reflex blink
hyperexcitability associated with dopamine depletion. In normal, alert
rats, decreasing the basal ganglia output to the superior colliculus by
injecting muscimol, a GABA agonist, into the substantia nigra pars
reticulata (SNr) markedly reduced blink amplitude.
Finally, brief trains of microstimulation to the superior colliculus
reduced blink amplitude. Histological analysis revealed
that effective muscimol microinjection and microstimulation sites in
the superior colliculus overlapped the nigro-tectal projection from the
basal ganglia. These data support models of Parkinsonian symtomatology
that rely on changes in the inhibitory drive from basal ganglia output
structures. Moreover, they support a model of Parkinsonian reflex blink
hyperexcitability in which the SNr-SC target projection is
critical.
Key words:
Parkinson's disease;
blink reflex;
6-hydroxydopamine;
superior colliculus;
rats
INTRODUCTION
Experimental Parkinsonism in animal models, as
well as Parkinson's disease in humans, increases reflex blink
excitability. For example, lesions of the ascending dopaminergic
pathway with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) dramatically increase
excitability and reduce habituation of the blink reflex in rats
(Shallert et al., 1989
; Basso et al., 1993
). Similar increases in
reflex blink excitability and loss of habituation occur in humans with
Parkinson's disease (Pearce et al., 1968
; Penders and Delwaide, 1971;
Messina et al., 1972
; Kimura, 1973; Esteban et al., 1981
; Caliguiri et
al., 1987; Masumoto et al., 1992).
The basal ganglia could modify reflex blink excitability through at
least two routes. Changes in the activity of substantia nigra pars
reticulata (SNr) and globus pallidus internal (GPi) neurons could alter
thalamic input to the cerebral cortex and thereby modify descending
cortical control of brainstem reflex blink circuits. Alternatively,
changes in the activity of SNr neurons inhibiting the superior
colliculus (SC) could change control of reflex blinks circuits via
tecto-bulbar projections.
One reason to expect that the basal ganglia (BG) modulate reflex blink
excitability through the nigro-collicular projection is the linkage of
blinking and saccadic gaze shifts. In normal humans, a blink
accompanies saccadic gaze shifts larger than 20°, and a reflex blink
decreases the latency of saccadic gaze shifts (Evinger et al., 1994
).
In diseases with pathologically slow saccades, combining a voluntary
blink with a saccade significantly increases maximum saccadic eye
velocity (Leigh et al., 1983
; Zee et al., 1983
). Given the importance
of the SC in controlling saccadic gaze shifts (Grantyn, 1988
), it is
reasonable that the SC could modulate reflex blinks by acting on
circuits shared by saccadic gaze shifts and blinking.
In both normal and dopamine-depleted animals, it is possible to
test both the importance of the nigro-collicular path in the BG
modulation of blinking and the predictions of Parkinsonian models. Loss
of dopamine-containing cells in the substantia nigra pars compacta
(SNc) increases the activity of the monkey GPi neurons (Filion and
Tremblay, 1991
; Filion et al., 1991
; DeLong and Wichman, 1993) and
decreases the activity of rat globus pallidus external neurons (Pan and
Walters, 1988
). Therefore, it is likely that in both monkeys and rats,
dopamine depletion leads to an increase in the inhibitory output of the
BG. To test this hypothesis, blocking the expected increase in SC
inhibition should reduce or eliminate reflex blink
hyperexcitability in animals with experimental Parkinsonism. In normal
animals, reducing the activity of SNr cells with the GABAergic agonist
muscimol should also reduce reflex blinking. Similarly,
inhibiting the SC in a dopamine intact animal should
increase reflex blink excitability, whereas activation of
the SC should decrease reflex blink excitability. The
present experiments confirm these predictions and strongly support the
hypothesis that the level of inhibition from BG output structures
modulates the excitability of brainstem reflex blink circuitry.
Further, these data support a model of Parkinsonian reflex blink
hyperexcitability mediated through the SNr-SC projection rather than
via the pallido-thalamo-cortical loop.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Subjects. Sprague Dawley rats weighing between 150 and 400 gm served as subjects. Animals were maintained on a 12 hr
light/dark cycle and fed ad libitum. All procedures in this
experiment strictly adhered to federal, state, and university
guidelines concerning the use of animals in research.
Chronic preparation. Under general anesthesia (90 mg/kg
ketamine and 10 mg/kg xylazine, i.m.) and using aseptic techniques, the
supraorbital branch of the trigeminal nerve (SO) in five animals was
exposed and encased in a Teflon nerve cuff. Electromyographic
recordings of the lid-closing, orbicularis oculi muscle (OOemg) were
made through a pair of Teflon-coated stainless steel wires (0.011 cm
coated diameter) bared 1 mm at the tip and implanted into the medial
and lateral margins of the OO muscle. All wires were led subcutaneously
to a dental acrylic base on the top of the skull, which was secured by
3-4 3/16 inch self tapping stainless steel screws. For later
microinjection of muscimol in the SC or SNr, four rats were implanted
with guide tube cannulae placed 3 mm above the microinjection site. The
guide tube was 26-gauge stainless steel tubing embedded in the dental
acrylic base attached to the skull. Guide tubes were occluded before
and after the microinjections with stylets. In one animal, which
previously received a unilateral 6-OHDA lesion of the ascending
mesotelencephalic dopamine system (Basso et al., 1993
), a cannula was
similarly implanted above the SC ipsilateral to the 6-OHDA lesion for
subsequent microinjections of bicuculline.
Acute preparation. Initially, animals were injected with
xylazine (10 mg/kg) intramuscularly, followed by urethane (1.2 gm/kg)
intraperitoneally. After the skull was placed in a stereotaxic
instrument, holes were drilled in the skull overlying the
microstimulation or microinjection sites. A pair of silver ball
electrodes was placed on the cornea to evoke blinks electrically, and
Teflon-coated stainless steel wires, bared 1 mm at the tip, identical
to those used in the chronic preparation, were implanted into the
margins of the OO muscle to record the OOemg. In most animals, this
procedure was performed bilaterally. If only one eye was prepared, it
was the eye contralateral to the tested SC. Stimulation parameters for
evoking a blink were determined by adjusting the intensity and duration
of the electrical pulse to the cornea to evoke a consistent OOemg
response for each animal. For all rats in this and the companion study
[see Basso and Evinger (1996)
in this issue], the corneal stimulus
current intensities ranged from 0.1 to 3.0 mA and the stimulus
durations ranged from 10 to 100 µS. These parameters remained
constant for each animal throughout the duration of the testing
session. Three animals in these acute experiments received 6-OHDA
lesions at least 10 d before testing (Basso et al., 1993
).
Experimental procedures. In both acute and chronic
experiments, the general testing procedure was identical. Data were
collected to establish baseline blink amplitude. In two chronic
animals, the SNr was injected with muscimol. In two additional chronic
animals and eight acute animals, the SC was injected with muscimol. In
one chronic and three acute 6-OHDA-lesioned animals, the SC ipsilateral
to the 6-OHDA lesion was injected with bicuculline. After drug
microinjection, blinks were evoked with the same parameters as were
used before the drug microinjections. The SC of five acutely prepared
animals was microstimulated. In this procedure, blinks with and without
preceding SC stimulation were alternately evoked. To avoid habituation,
the time between blinks was 50 ± 5 sec for experiments on
anesthetized rats and 25 ± 5 sec for experiments on alert
animals.
Microstimulation. Glass microelectrodes (5-10 µm tip
diameter) filled with 2 M sodium acetate saturated with
fast green were used to microstimulate the SC in anesthetized animals.
We delivered a 70 msec train of 80 µS duration cathodal pulses at 200 Hz. This train ended 5 msec before the onset of the corneal
stimulus. Except where specifically stated, the maximum current
intensity never exceeded 50 µA. At the end of all experiments, fast
green was deposited at the microstimulation sites by passing 12-15
µA cathodal current through the electrode for 15 min (Thomas and
Wilson, 1965
).
Microinjections. A 30-gauge, 5 µl syringe mounted to a
stereotaxic instrument was used to deliver the muscimol or bicuculline
into the SC of anesthetized animals. Both muscimol and bicuculline were
dissolved in 0.9% saline at concentrations of 0.01 or 1.0 µg/µl
immediately before the microinjection. The injected volumes were
between 0.2 and 1.0 µl. Vehicle microinjections of saline served as
controls.
After collecting premicroinjection data from alert rats, the
chronically prepared animals were lightly anesthetized with halothane
and 1.0 µl containing either 0.01 or 0.1 µg of muscimol or
bicuculline was injected through a 30-gauge cannula placed 3 mm below
the previously implanted guide tube. Data collection began at least 5 min after the microinjection, when the rats had recovered fully from
the halothane.
Reflex excitability paradigm. In addition to assessing
reflex excitability by the changes in the amplitude of the evoked blink
reflex, we quantified blink reflex excitability using the
paired-stimulus paradigm. In this procedure, two identical
blink-evoking stimuli were presented with interstimulus intervals
between 100 and 800 msec. To avoid habituation, particularly in
anesthetized rats, the time between stimulus pairs was 50 ± 5 sec.
Data acquisition and analysis. OOemg signals were acquired
and stored on a computer (4000 Hz, 12-bit A/D resolution) and analyzed
off-line using an interactive computer program that integrated
rectified OOemg records and determined latencies of averaged OOemg
records. For statistical analysis, the integrated OOemg amplitude
measured in A/D units was normalized to the mean blink amplitude of all
animals.
The corneal blink reflex amplitude before and after the muscimol
microinjections from nine microinjections in eight anesthetized animals
was analyzed with a Wilcoxon signed rank test. Amplitudes of the blink
reflex were compared before and after the microinjections in each
animal individually. Each animal contributed two points to each cell of
the analysis. Each point was the mean of at least five blinks and
normalized to the mean blink amplitude for all animals. Blink reflex
amplitudes from the five anesthetized animals that received unilateral
SC microstimulation and bilateral OOemg recording were analyzed with a
2 × 2 repeated-measures ANOVA that compared the left and right
corneal blink reflex amplitude with and without SC microstimulation.
Every animal contributed five blinks to each cell of the analysis. The
OOemg data were normalized to the mean amplitude without
microstimulation for all animals. The data acquired from three
6-OHDA-lesioned animals that received bicuculline microinjections into
the SC were also normalized to the mean preinjection blink amplitude of
all animals and were analyzed with a one-way ANOVA. This analysis
compared the effect between conditions, before the microinjection,
after the microinjection, and after recovery. Every cell contained
three points, and each point was the mean of at least 10 blinks from
each animal.
Histology. At the end of the experiments, animals were
deeply anesthetized with ketamine (90 mg/kg, i.m.) and xylazine (10 mg/kg, i.m.) and perfused intracardially with a warm solution of 6.0%
dextran in phosphate buffer (PB; pH 7.4), with cold 10% formalin in PB
to localize fast green deposits, or with cold 4.0% paraformaldehyde in
PB to localize tyrosine hydroxylase. The brains were post-fixed in
fixative for 2 hr and stored in a 30% sucrose solution in PB. To
localize fast green deposits, 100 µm sections were cut on a freezing
microtome and counterstained with cresyl violet. The extent of the
6-OHDA lesion was assessed by processing the tissue
immunohistochemically with an antibody against tyrosine hydroxylase
(Eugene Tech). Forty micron sections cut on a freezing microtome were
preincubated in 1.0% normal goat serum diluted in 0.3% Triton X-100
in PBS (PBSGT). The tissue was rinsed in PBS and incubated overnight at
4°C in primary antibody against tyrosine hydroxylase raised in rabbit
and diluted 1:5000 in PBSGT. After incubation, the tissue was rinsed in
PBS and then incubated in secondary antibody (dilution 1:200) for 2 hr.
The avidin-biotin method using DAB was used for visualization.
RESULTS
Modifying the inhibitory SNr input to the SC
Previous studies suggest that dopamine depletion in the SNc
results in increased SNr and GPi activity. Most Parkinsonian symptoms
are explained by these changes and, in particular, by alterations in
the pallidal-thalamo-cortical loop (for review, see DeLong and
Wichmann, 1993
). To establish that modifications of the blink reflex in
Parkinsonism also result from changes in BG output nuclei and, in
particular, from alterations in the nigro-collicular pathway, we
demonstrated that blocking GABA receptors in the SC eliminated reflex
blink hyperexcitability in rats with 6-OHDA lesions and showed that
reducing SNr activity decreased reflex blink amplitude in
normal rats.
Stimulation of the supraorbital branch of the trigeminal nerve (SO)
evoked two components of OOemg activity, R1 and R2, in normal (Evinger
et al., 1993
) and 6-OHDA-lesioned alert animals (Basso et al., 1993
)
(Fig. 1A). The first component, R1,
arose at a mean latency of 5.12 msec after the stimulus, whereas the
second component, R2, occurred at a mean latency of 15.93 msec (40 blinks from 4 animals). 6-OHDA lesions dramatically augmented the
excitability of the SO-evoked blinks (Basso et al., 1993
). First, the
paired stimulus paradigm with a 50 msec interstimulus interval produced
an increase in the amplitude of the R2 component evoked by
the second stimulus (Fig. 1A) instead of the usual
50-80% decrease in R2 amplitude exhibited by unlesioned
rats (Basso et al., 1993
). Second, 6-OHDA lesions enhanced consensual
reflex blinks. For instance, stimulating the left SO evoked a strong,
consensual response in the right OOemg of 6-OHDA-lesioned rats (Fig.
1B) that frequently was not present in unlesioned
rats. A large (1.0 µg) bicuculline microinjection into the right SC
of one chronically prepared animal eliminated reflex blink excitability
caused by the 6-OHDA lesion, returning blink reflex excitability
responses to near normal values in the paired stimulus paradigm (Fig.
1C) and virtually abolishing the consensual response (Fig.
1D).
Fig. 1.
Elimination of blink reflex
hyperexcitability by a microinjection of bicuculline into the superior
colliculus of an alert rat with a 6-OHDA lesion of the right ascending
mesotelencephalic dopamine system. Each trace is the average of 10 rectified OOemg responses to a pair of stimuli to the left supraorbital
branch of the trigeminal nerve (LSO) separated by 50 msec. A, C, The left
records are from the left lid OOemg (LOOemg),
the direct response, and the (B, D)
right records are consensual, right lid OOemg
(ROOemg) responses. A, B,
The top records are before microinjection of bicuculline
(Pre Bicuculline). C, D,
The bottom records are after a microinjection of 1 µg
of bicuculline into the right superior colliculus.
LOOemg, Left orbicularis oculi response;
LSO, left supraorbital nerve stimulation;
R1, short-latency response; R2,
long-latency response; ROOemg, right orbicularis oculi
emg.
[View Larger Version of this Image (25K GIF file)]
Bicuculline microinjections into the superior colliculus of three
anesthetized, 6-OHDA-lesioned rats also eliminated blink reflex
excitability. Electrical stimulation of the cornea in
urethane-anesthetized rats evoked a single component of OOemg activity
in normal (Evinger et al., 1993
) and 6-OHDA-lesioned rats (Fig.
2). In unlesioned rats, corneal stimulation only evoked
an ipsilateral response with a mean latency of 15 msec. Consistent with
the increased reflex blink excitability generated by dopamine depletion
in alert rats (Basso et al., 1993
) (Fig. 1), anesthetized
6-OHDA-lesioned rats exhibited reflex blink hyperexcitability evidenced
by the appearance of a consensual corneal response (Fig.
2A, top right trace). A bicuculline
microinjection (0.5 µg) into the SC ipsilateral to the lesioned SNc
eliminated the consensual blink response (Fig. 2A,
bottom right trace) and significantly reduced the amplitude
of the ipsilateral corneally evoked reflex blink [Fig.
2A (bottom left trace),
2B; ANOVA F(3,5) = 5.43, p < 0.05]. These bicuculline microinjections into the
SC also precipitated contralateral whisker movement, tail pointing
ipsilateral to the microinjection site, and ipsilateral hindlimb
flexion, i.e., behaviors consistent with orienting. After ~2 hr, the
ipsilateral reflex blink returned to its normal amplitude (Fig.
2B, Rec).
Fig. 2.
Elimination of blink reflex hyperexcitability by a
microinjection of bicuculline into the superior colliculus of a
urethane-anesthetized rat with a 6-OHDA lesion of the ascending
mesotelencephalic dopamine system. A, Each trace is the
average of 10 rectified OOemg responses to stimulation of the right
cornea (R Cornea). Left traces show the
right OOemg (R OOemg), the direct response, and the
right traces display the left OOemg (L
OOemg), the consensual response, not typically seen in normal
rats. The top traces illustrate the direct and
consensual response before microinjection of bicuculline (Pre
Bicuculline), and the bottom traces show the
same responses after microinjection of 0.5 µg of bicuculline into the
superior colliculus (Post Bicuculline).
B, Pooled data from three anesthetized rats with 6-OHDA
lesions showing the corneally evoked OOemg amplitude before
(Pre), after (Post), and at least 2 hr
after (Rec) microinjections of bicuculline into the
superior colliculus ipsilateral to the 6-OHDA lesion. All integrated
OOemg data were normalized to the mean preinjection OOemg amplitude for
all animals, and error bars are 1 SEM.
[View Larger Version of this Image (28K GIF file)]
To demonstrate that changes in SNr activity could modify blink
amplitude in normal animals, we microinjected 0.5 µg of muscimol into
the SNr of two normal, alert rats. This procedure reduced the R2
component of the blink reflex ipsilateral and contralateral to the
injected SNr (Fig. 3; ipsilateral 0.16 ± 0.02, contralateral 0.20 ± 0.04). Saline microinjections did not
significantly alter SO-evoked blink amplitude (Fig. 3B).
Thus, decreasing SNr inhibition of the SC by blocking GABA receptors in
the SC (Figs. 1, 2) or decreasing SNr activity with muscimol
(Fig. 3) reduced reflex blink amplitude in 6-OHDA-lesioned
and normal animals. These observations revealed that changes in the
nigro-collicular pathway are sufficient for the basal ganglia to
modulate reflex blinks. The observations also suggested that decreases
in SC activity boost reflex blink excitability whereas
increases in SC activity reduce reflex blink amplitude. The
next set of experiments evaluated collicular modulation of reflex
blinks.
Fig. 3.
Reduction of substantia nigra pars reticulata
activity by microinjection of muscimol reduced R2 OOemg amplitude in
alert rats. A, Each trace is the average of 15 rectified, direct OOemg responses to stimulation of the supraorbital
branch of the trigeminal nerve (SO) before
(dotted line) and after (solid line) a
0.5 µl microinjection of 1.0% muscimol into the SNr.
B, R2 OOemg amplitude relative to premicroinjection
OOemg amplitude before (Pre) and after
(Post) microinjections of muscimol and after a control
microinjection of saline (Saline) from two alert rats.
Top graph shows data from direct OOemg activity
ipsilateral to the SNr microinjection, and bottom graph
displays direct OOemg activity contralateral to the SNr microinjection.
Error bars are 1 SEM.
[View Larger Version of this Image (42K GIF file)]
Muscimol microinjections into the SC
As suggested by the effects of modulating SNr activity, muscimol
inactivation of the SC increased the amplitude of reflex
blinks bilaterally. In two alert rats, muscimol microinjections only
enhanced the amplitude of the long-latency, R2 component of reflex
blinks (Fig. 4) but shortened the latency of both
components. Microinjections of saline vehicle failed to alter R2
amplitude significantly (Fig. 4B). Similarly,
microinjections as small as 0.5 µl of 0.01 µg of muscimol, a GABA
agonist, into the SC of eight urethane-anesthetized rats markedly
increased the amplitude (Wilcoxon T+ = 7, n = 9, p = 0.03; Fig. 5B) and
decreased the latency of corneally evoked blinks. The increase in the
amplitude of reflex blinks after unilateral SC microinjection of
muscimol was also seen in response to stimulation of either cornea in
acute rat preparations. Microinjection of muscimol into the SC also
turned the normally unilateral corneally evoked blink into a bilateral
response (Fig. 5A, Consensual OOemg). Similarly,
increases in reflex blink excitability, evidenced by a reduction in
suppression in the paired-stimulus paradigm, were evident in
anesthetized rats after muscimol microinjection in the SC (Fig.
5A). Injecting muscimol into the SC of anesthetized rats
mimicked the effect of 6-OHDA lesions on reflex blinking and,
therefore, mimicked the behavioral pathology of Parkinsonism on
trigeminally evoked reflex blinks.
Fig. 4.
Microinjection of muscimol into the superior
colliculus increases R2 blink component amplitude in alert rats.
A, Each record is the average of 15 rectified, direct
OOemg responses to stimulation of the supraorbital branch of the
trigeminal nerve (SO) before (top trace,
Pre) and after (bottom trace, Post) a 0.1 µg
muscimol microinjection into the superior colliculus contralateral to
the SO stimulus. B, Relative R2 OOemg amplitude evoked
by SO stimuli presented ipsilateral (hatched bars) or
contralateral (striped bars) to the injected superior
colliculus. The R2 component increased bilaterally
(Post) relative to stimuli delivered before the
microinjection (Pre) or after control microinjections of
saline (Saline). All integrated OOemg data were
normalized to the mean preinjection OOemg amplitude, and error bars are
1 SEM.
[View Larger Version of this Image (28K GIF file)]
Fig. 5.
Microinjection of muscimol into the superior
colliculus of urethane-anesthetized rats mimics the effects of 6-OHDA
lesions. A, Each record is the average of 10 rectified
OOemg responses to two stimuli delivered to the right cornea (R
Cornea) with an interstimulus interval of 400 msec. The
left traces are from the right OOemg (Direct
OOemg), and right traces are from the left OOemg
(Consensual OOemg). Top traces are direct
and consensual blinks evoked before muscimol microinjection (Pre
Muscimol), and the bottom traces are blinks
evoked after a 0.01 µg microinjection of muscimol into the left
superior colliculus (Post Muscimol). B,
Relative direct OOemg amplitude evoked by SO stimulation before
(Pre, striped bars) and after
(Post, solid bars) muscimol
microinjection into the SC contralateral to the corneal stimulus. The
bars are means of nine microinjections normalized to the mean
preinjection OOemg amplitude of all animals, and the error bars are 1 SEM.
[View Larger Version of this Image (30K GIF file)]
Microstimulation in the acute preparation
The increase in reflex blink amplitude and excitability after a
reduction in SC activity suggested that increasing SC activity would
reduce the amplitude of reflex blinks. Presenting a 70 msec
train of stimuli before the corneal stimulus dramatically
suppressed the amplitude of the subsequent corneally evoked reflex
blinks bilaterally in anesthetized rats (Fig. 6; ANOVA
F(1,60) = 392.34, p < 0.0001).
Regardless of which cornea was used to elicit blinks, the amount of
suppression caused by unilateral SC microstimulation did not differ
significantly between the two sides (Fig. 6B, ANOVA
F(1,60) = 1.63, p not significant;
Fig. 6B).
Fig. 6.
Microstimulation of the superior colliculus
suppresses cornea reflex blinks in urethane-anesthetized rats.
A, Each record is the average of 10 rectified OOemg
responses to stimulation of the right (R Corn) or left
(L Corn) cornea. Right traces are from
the left OOemg (L OOemg), and left traces
are from the right lid OOemg (R OOemg). Top
traces show normal, control responses, and bottom
traces illustrate responses preceded by a 70 msec train of
microstimulation to the left superior colliculus (L SC)
that terminated 5 msec before the corneal stimulation.
B, Reduction in the amplitude of the direct OOemg
response caused by microstimulation of the superior colliculus
ipsilateral (Ipsi, solid bars) or contralateral
(Contra, hatched bars) to the stimulated
cornea. All integrated OOemg data were normalized to the mean
preinjection OOemg amplitude for the group, and error bars are 1 SEM.
[View Larger Version of this Image (32K GIF file)]
Superior colliculus microstimulation and microinjection sites
The effective sites for microinjection of muscimol and
microstimulation were restricted to specific SC locations (Fig.
7). Muscimol-induced increases in blink reflex
excitability occurred with concentrations as low as 0.01 µg when the
microinjection was in the deep layers of the rostral SC.
Microinjections at more caudal sites in the SC had smaller effects or
required higher concentrations of muscimol to produce effects
equivalent to those obtained from microinjections into the rostral SC.
Figure 7 also shows the locations and the required stimulus intensities
that produced a 50% reduction in reflex blink amplitude. The sites
with the lowest stimulus intensity were in the deep layers of the SC
and tended to be lateral and rostral. Two microinjection sites and two
microstimulation sites that were outside of the SC had no effect on
reflex blinking. Consistent with the modulation of reflex blinking via
the nigro-collicular pathway, the effective microstimulation and
microinjection sites coincided with nigro-collicular termination zones
(Bickford and Hall, 1992
; May and Hall, 1993; May et al., 1993
).
Fig. 7.
Reconstruction of the sites of muscimol
microinjections and microstimulation sites in anesthetized rats.
Microinjection and microstimulation sites from all animals mapped on
schematic representation of coronal brain sections spaced 200 µm
apart (Swanson, 1992
). Filled diamonds are sites where
0.01 µg of muscimol increased blink amplitude; × are sites where 0.1 µg of muscimol increased blink amplitude. Inverted filled
triangles show sites where currents <20 µA caused a 50%
reduction in blink amplitude. Filled squares show sites
where currents between 20 and 40 µA caused a 50% reduction in blink
amplitude. Filled circles show sites requiring
currents > 50 µA to cause a 50% reduction in blink amplitude.
Filled stars are sites where 0.1 µg of muscimol did
not alter reflex blinks. Open stars show sites where
currents > 100 µA failed to alter reflex blinks.
PAG, Periaqueductal gray; sg, stratum
griseum superficiale; si, stratum griseum
intermediale.
[View Larger Version of this Image (31K GIF file)]
DISCUSSION
It is clear from experimental (Shallert et al., 1989
; Basso et
al., 1993
) as well as clinical (Pearce et al., 1968
; Penders and
Delwaide, 1971; Messina et al., 1972
; Kimura, 1973; Esteban et al.,
1981
; Caliguiri et al., 1987; Masumoto et al., 1992) studies that
dopamine depletion in the basal ganglia increases reflex blink
excitability. In humans and alert rats, this excitability increase
occurs primarily in the long-latency R2 component of SO-evoked reflex
blinks. As with other reflexes in Parkinsonian patients, the
short-latency R1 component shows only modest increases in excitability
(Kimura, 1973). This enhanced excitability of long-latency reflexes
develops because of the BG's increased inhibition of its target
structures (Albin et al., 1989
; DeLong, 1990
; DeLong and Wichmann,
1993
). The present study demonstrates that the increased excitability
of reflex blinks seen in the rat model of Parkinson's disease (Basso
et al., 1993
) also results from increased inhibition by BG output
structures. In this respect, our results support current models of
Parkinsonian symptomatology. Moreover, our results extend these models
of Parkinsonism to include a critical role for the SNr-SC inhibitory
projection in the expression of reflex blink hyperexcitability.
Three lines of evidence support the role of the superior colliculus in
Parkinsonian reflex blink hyperexcitability. First, blocking the
excessive GABAergic inhibition of the superior colliculus of
6-OHDA-lesioned animals with a GABA antagonist, bicuculline, virtually
eliminated reflex blink hyperexcitability. The GABA blockade of the
superior colliculus exerted its strongest effect on the long-latency R2
component of the blink, the component most profoundly altered in
experimental animals with dopamine depletion (Basso et al., 1993
) and
in humans with Parkinson's disease (Pearce et al., 1968
; Penders and
Delwaide, 1971; Messina et al., 1972
; Kimura, 1973; Esteban et al.,
1981
; Caliguiri et al., 1987; Masumoto et al., 1992). Second, reducing
the inhibitory output of the nigro-collicular pathway by microinjecting
the GABA agonist muscimol into the SNr decreased reflex blink amplitude
of the long-latency R2 component in normal rats. Third, simulating the
increased activity of the inhibitory nigro-collicular pathway
associated with 6-OHDA lesions by injecting muscimol into the superior
colliculus caused normal rats to exhibit reflex blink hyperexcitability
normally associated with dopamine depletion. The sites where muscimol
microinjections effectively increased reflex blink excitability were
restricted to the superior colliculus and overlapped the termination
zones of the nigro-collicular input (May and Hall, 1984
, 1986
; Bickford
and Hall, 1992
; May et al., 1993
). Because the SC microinjection
procedure did not affect basal ganglia inhibitory inputs to thalamus,
the nigro-collicular pathway was sufficient to control trigeminal
reflex blink excitability. Moreover, because cortical or thalamic
damage in humans decreased or did not alter reflex blink amplitude and
excitability (Ongerboer de Visser and Moffie, 1979
; Ongerboer de
Visser, 1981
; Berardelli et al., 1983
), the increased inhibition of the
pallido-thalamic pathway in Parkinson's disease failed to explain
increased reflex blink excitability. In addition to demonstrating the
critical role of the superior colliculus in basal ganglia modulation in
Parkinsonian reflex blink hyperexcitability, the current study revealed
a mechanism through which the basal ganglia can modulate reflex blinks.
Basal ganglia disorders can both increase and decrease reflex blink
excitability. For instance, patients suffering from Huntington's
disease have a normal level of striatal dopamine but, because of
striatal cell loss, have a decreased inhibitory drive from the GPi and,
presumably, SNr to target structures (Albin et al., 1990). This
reduction in nigro-collicular inhibition should increase collicular
activity. As predicted from the superior colliculus microstimulation
experiment and the SNr muscimol experiment, patients with Huntington's
disease typically exhibit hypoexcitable reflex blinks
(Esteban and Giminez-Roldan, 1975; Caraceni et al., 1976
). Thus,
increasing inhibition of the superior colliculus enhances reflex blink
excitability, whereas decreasing inhibition of the superior colliculus
reduces reflex blink excitability. The simplest explanation for these
data is that the BG inhibit a neural pathway, mediated through the
superior colliculus, that tonically inhibits the trigeminal reflex
blink circuit.
The well established role of the superior colliculus in orienting
behaviors such as saccadic gaze shifts (for review, see Grantyn, 1988
)
suggests that collicular modulation of reflex blinking relates to the
interactions between blinking and saccadic gaze shifts (Evinger et al.,
1994
). It is probably more advantageous, however, to view SC modulation
as part of the more general relationship between orienting and
defensive behaviors. Microstimulation of the rodent SC activates both
orienting movements and defensive movements (Sahibzada et al., 1986
;
Dean et al., 1988a
,b, 1989; Northmore et al., 1988
; Westby et al.,
1990
). Microstimulation of the medial SC evokes ipsilateral cringing
behavior, whereas microstimulation of the lateral SC elicits
contralateral orienting. Consistent with the medial SC organizing
defensive behaviors, neurons in the rostral, medial SC respond to both
nociceptive and non-nociceptive cutaneous stimulation (McHaffie et al.,
1989) and project to the intralaminar nucleus of the thalamus (Yamasaki
and Krauthamer, 1990
). Neurons in the lateral SC are active with rapid
head (Guitton et al., 1980
), eye (Wurtz and Goldberg, 1972; Stein et
al., 1976
), and pinna (Stein and Clamann, 1981
) orienting movements.
McHaffie et al. (1989) proposed a circuit in which the activation of
the medial SC inhibited neurons in the lateral SC by activating the
intralaminar nucleus of the thalamus, which led to an increase in SNr
inhibition of lateral SC. Suppression of the lateral SC would permit a
withdrawal response to occur unopposed by a competing orienting
response. The present data are consistent with this prediction of the
model because inhibiting lateral SC inhibition dramatically enhances
reflex blinks, an important element in a defensive withdrawal response.
Although we did not quantify sites in the medial SC, we never evoked
blinks from microstimulation of more medial sites. Rather, our
qualitative impression was that the microstimulation became less
effective in suppressing blinks as we moved more medially. In this
regard, our data are not consistent with the model of McHaffie et al.
(1989). Our observation suggests that SC effects on reflex blinking
share elements with the orienting system, rather than being associated
with defensive behaviors. This hypothesis is consistent with very
recent findings that tonically active neurons in the lateral
SC of the rat respond to both nociceptive and wide dynamic range
cutaneous stimuli (Redgrave et al., 1996
).
Activation of the lateral SC suppresses reflex blinks. One possibility
is that the BG influence brainstem reflex blink circuits by altering
the amount of inhibition on these cells in the lateral SC output
neurons with cutaneous response profiles. The cells with tonic activity
could continuously regulate the level of excitability of brainstem
structures involved in reflex blinking. In Parkinson's disease, the
increased inhibition of these cells leads to an increase in reflex
excitability through a tonic disinhibition of trigeminal reflex blink
circuits. Another possibility is that dopamine depletion in the basal
ganglia alters the phasic response of lateral SC neurons to cutaneous
stimulation. For example, these neurons may respond phasically to
cutaneous stimulation of the face, which would modulate a brainstem
inhibitory interneuron to ensure an appropriate amplitude blink given
the stimulus parameters. The level of BG inhibition of SC output could
regulate the excitability of reflex blinks during different movement
programs and perhaps regulate the sensory input the movements
themselves create. Thus, the hyperexcitable reflexes of Parkinson's
disease may reflect a motor system that inadequately regulates reflexes
with other types of movements.
FOOTNOTES
Received March 18, 1996; revised Aug. 27, 1996; accepted Aug. 31, 1996.
This work was supported by National Eye Institute Grant EY07391 (C.E.)
and summer fellowships from the Parkinson's Disease Foundation
(M.A.B.). We thank Donna Schmidt for her expert technical
assistance.
Correspondence should be addressed to Craig Evinger, Department of
Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY
11794-5230.
Dr. Basso's current address: Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research,
National Eye Institute, Building 49, Room 2A50, Bethesda, MD
20892-4435.
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