Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Oestrogen receptors enhance dopamine neurone survival in rat midbrain.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Johnson, ML; Ho, CC; Day, AE; Walker, QD; Francis, R; Kuhn, CM
Published in: J Neuroendocrinol
April 2010

Previous findings in our laboratory and elsewhere have shown that ovariectomy of rats in adulthood attenuates cocaine-stimulated locomotor behaviour. Ovarian hormones enhance both cocaine-stimulated behaviour and increase dopamine overflow after psychomotor stimulants. The present study aimed to determine whether ovarian hormones have these effects in part by maintaining dopamine neurone number in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) and to investigate the roles of specific oestrogen receptors (ERs) in the maintenance of mesencephalic dopamine neurones. To accomplish this goal, we used unbiased stereological techniques to estimate the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive (TH-IR) cell bodies in midbrain regions of intact, ovariectomised and hormone-replaced female rats and mice. Animals received active or sham gonadectomy on postnatal day 60 and received vehicle, 17beta-oestradiol (E(2)) or selective ER agonists propyl-pyrazole-triol (PPT, ERalpha) or diarylpropionitrile (DPN, ERbeta) for 1 month post-surgery. In both rats and mice, ovariectomy reduced the number of TH-IR cells in the SNpc and VTA. Replacement with E(2), PPT or DPN prevented or attenuated the loss observed with ovariectomy in both rats and mice. An additional study using ER knockout mice revealed that adult female mice lacking ERalpha had fewer TH-IR cells in midbrain regions than wild-type mice, whereas mice lacking ERbeta had TH-IR cell counts comparable to wild-type. These findings suggest that, although both ER subtypes play a role in the maintenance of TH-IR cell number in the SNpc and VTA, ERalpha may play a more significant role.

Duke Scholars

Published In

J Neuroendocrinol

DOI

EISSN

1365-2826

Publication Date

April 2010

Volume

22

Issue

4

Start / End Page

226 / 237

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Ventral Tegmental Area
  • Up-Regulation
  • Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase
  • Substantia Nigra
  • Receptors, Estrogen
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Rats
  • Ovariectomy
  • Neurons
  • Mice, Knockout
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Johnson, M. L., Ho, C. C., Day, A. E., Walker, Q. D., Francis, R., & Kuhn, C. M. (2010). Oestrogen receptors enhance dopamine neurone survival in rat midbrain. J Neuroendocrinol, 22(4), 226–237. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2826.2010.01964.x
Johnson, M. L., C. C. Ho, A. E. Day, Q. D. Walker, R. Francis, and C. M. Kuhn. “Oestrogen receptors enhance dopamine neurone survival in rat midbrain.J Neuroendocrinol 22, no. 4 (April 2010): 226–37. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2826.2010.01964.x.
Johnson ML, Ho CC, Day AE, Walker QD, Francis R, Kuhn CM. Oestrogen receptors enhance dopamine neurone survival in rat midbrain. J Neuroendocrinol. 2010 Apr;22(4):226–37.
Johnson, M. L., et al. “Oestrogen receptors enhance dopamine neurone survival in rat midbrain.J Neuroendocrinol, vol. 22, no. 4, Apr. 2010, pp. 226–37. Pubmed, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2826.2010.01964.x.
Johnson ML, Ho CC, Day AE, Walker QD, Francis R, Kuhn CM. Oestrogen receptors enhance dopamine neurone survival in rat midbrain. J Neuroendocrinol. 2010 Apr;22(4):226–237.
Journal cover image

Published In

J Neuroendocrinol

DOI

EISSN

1365-2826

Publication Date

April 2010

Volume

22

Issue

4

Start / End Page

226 / 237

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Ventral Tegmental Area
  • Up-Regulation
  • Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase
  • Substantia Nigra
  • Receptors, Estrogen
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Rats
  • Ovariectomy
  • Neurons
  • Mice, Knockout