Induction of oral tremor in mice by the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor galantamine: Reversal with adenosine A2A antagonism.

Tremulous jaw movements (TJMs) have become a commonly used rat model of Parkinsonian tremor. TJMs can be induced by a number of neurochemical conditions that parallel those seen in human Parkinsonism, including DA depletion, DA antagonism, and cholinomimetic administration, and can be reduced by various antiparkinsonian agents. TJMs typically occur in bursts with the peak frequency in the range of 3-7.5 Hz, which is similar to the Parkinsonian tremor frequency range. While the vast majority of this work has been done using rats, current efforts have focused on extending the TJM model to mice. The aim of the present studies was to establish a mouse model of Parkinsonian resting tremor using the anticholinesterase galantamine, and to investigate the effects of adenosine A2A antagonism on galantamine-induced TJMs. Galantamine significantly induced TJMs in a dose-dependent manner (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 mg/kg IP). The TJMs tended to occur in bursts in the 3-7.5 Hz frequency range, with a peak frequency of approximately 6 Hz. Systemic administration of the adenosine A2A antagonist MSX-3 (2.5, 5.0, 10.0 mg/kg) significantly attenuated galantamine-induced TJMs. Co-administration of MSX-3 also altered the local frequency of galantamine-induced TJMs, decreasing the peak frequency from approximately 6 Hz to 5 Hz, though the vast majority of TJMs remained in the frequency range characteristic of Parkinsonian resting tremor. These results indicate that adenosine A2A antagonism is capable of reducing anticholinesterase-induced TJMs in mice. Extending the TJM model to mice gives researchers an additional avenue for investigating drug-induced Parkinsonism and tremorogenesis, and could be a useful addition to the study of motor abnormalities observed in mouse genetic models of Parkinsonism.

Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus reverses oral tremor in pharmacological models of parkinsonism: interaction with the effects of adenosine A2A antagonism.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus is increasingly being employed as a treatment for parkinsonian symptoms, including tremor. The present studies used tremulous jaw movements, a pharmacological model of tremor in rodents, to investigate the tremorolytic effects of subthalamic DBS in rats. Subthalamic DBS reduced the tremulous jaw movements induced by the dopamine D2 family antagonist pimozide and the D1 family antagonist ecopipam, as well as the cholinomimetics pilocarpine and galantamine. The ability of DBS to suppress tremulous jaw movements was dependent on the neuroanatomical locus being stimulated (subthalamic nucleus vs. a striatal control site), as well as the frequency and intensity of stimulation used. Importantly, administration of the adenosine A2A receptor antagonist MSX-3 reduced the frequency and intensity parameters needed to attenuate tremulous jaw movements. These results have implications for the clinical use of DBS, and future studies should determine whether adenosine A2A antagonism could be used to enhance the tremorolytic efficacy of subthalamic DBS at low frequencies and intensities in human patients.

The novel adenosine A(2A) antagonist prodrug MSX-4 is effective in animal models related to motivational and motor functions.

Adenosine A(2A) and dopamine D2 receptors interact to regulate diverse aspects of ventral and dorsal striatal functions related to motivational and motor processes, and it has been suggested that adenosine A(2A) antagonists could be useful for the treatment of depression, parkinsonism and other disorders. The present experiments were performed to characterize the effects of MSX-4, which is an amino acid ester prodrug of the potent and selective adenosine A(2A) receptor antagonist MSX-2, by assessing its ability to reverse pharmacologically induced motivational and motor impairments. In the first group of studies, MSX-4 reversed the effects of the D2 antagonist eticlopride on a concurrent lever pressing/chow feeding task that is used as a measure of effort-related choice behavior. MSX-4 was less potent after intraperitoneal administration than the comparison compound, MSX-3, though both were equally efficacious. With this task, MSX-4 was orally active in the same dose range as MSX-3. MSX-4 also reversed the locomotor suppression induced by eticlopride in the open field, but did not induce anxiogenic effects as measured by the relative amount of interior activity. Behaviorally active doses of MSX-4 also attenuated the increase in c-Fos and pDARPP-32(Thr34) expression in nucleus accumbens core that was induced by injections of eticlopride. In addition, MSX-4 suppressed the oral tremor induced by the anticholinesterase galantamine, which is consistent with an antiparkinsonian profile. These actions of MSX-4 indicate that this compound could have potential utility as a treatment for parkinsonism, as well as some of the motivational symptoms of depression and other disorders.

Extracellular GABA in globus pallidus increases during the induction of oral tremor by haloperidol but not by muscarinic receptor stimulation.

Tremulous jaw movements in rats can be induced by several conditions associated with parkinsonism and tremorogenesis, including dopamine depletion, dopamine antagonism, and cholinomimetic drugs. Previous research indicates that neostriatal mechanisms are involved in the generation of tremulous jaw movements, but the striatal output pathways involved in these movements remain uncertain. One important pathway for striatal output is the GABAergic striatopallidal system. The present studies were undertaken to determine if extracellular levels of GABA in globus pallidus are associated with the induction of tremulous jaw movements by either a dopamine D2 antagonist (haloperidol) or a cholinomimetic (the muscarinic agonist pilocarpine). The first experiment studied the effects of both acute and repeated (i.e. 8 days) administration of the D2 antagonist haloperidol. In the second experiment, the effect of acute administration of the muscarinic agonist pilocarpine on GABA levels in the globus pallidus was examined. In both experiments, behavioral observations of tremulous jaw movements were conducted in parallel with the collection of microdialysis samples. Acute and repeated haloperidol treatment induced tremulous jaw movements, and significantly elevated extracellular GABA in globus pallidus. Pooling across all treatment groups, there was a significant positive correlation between pallidal GABA levels and the number of tremulous jaw movements induced during the first three samples collected after injection. However, injection of 4.0mg/kg pilocarpine had no effect on pallidal GABA release, despite the robust induction of tremulous jaw movements. These results indicate that the tremulous jaw movements induced by dopamine D2 antagonism and those induced through muscarinic receptor stimulation may be generated via distinct mechanisms.