Hypersensitivity of dopamine transmission in the rat striatum after treatment with the NMDA receptor antagonist amantadine.

Amantadine, a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist known to increase dopamine synthesis and release in the striatum, is frequently associated with L-DOPA in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. However, the biochemical mechanisms involved in the effect of amantadine and the consequences of its repetitive administration on the modulation of striatal dopamine transmission still need to be clarified. We have investigated the effects of short-term amantadine treatments on the expression of dopamine receptors and the functional coupling to G proteins in rat striatal membranes. Dopamine-induced stimulation of guanosine 5'-[gamma-35S]triphosphate ([35S]GTPgammaS) binding was significantly enhanced (40%) in striatum homogenates from rats treated for 4 days with amantadine (40 mg/kg, i.p.) compared to vehicle-treated animals. This effect was specific for dopamine receptors and was transient as no significant modifications were observed when animals were treated for either 2 or 7 days. Administration of amantadine did not directly affect the animal behaviour. However, treated animals exhibited hypersensitive dopamine transmission since rats treated for 4 days showed exacerbated responses to a single apomorphine administration (enhanced locomotor activity and reduced stereotypy). Since the effects of amantadine administration differ from those usually observed with direct dopamine receptor agonists or other NMDA receptor antagonists, we suggest that multiple biochemical mechanisms contribute to the modulation of dopamine transmission by amantadine.