JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments
Neuroscience
0 views • 3:43 min • July 8th, 2025
Take a syringe filled with levodopa, a dopamine precursor, and a dopamine conversion inhibitor.
Inject this solution into the subcutaneous tissue of a restrained rat with Parkinson's disease, exhibiting damaged dopamine-producing neurons.
In the rat, the inhibitor binds to dopamine-producing enzymes and prevents the premature conversion of levodopa into dopamine.
Levodopa enters the bloodstream, crosses the blood-brain barrier via amino acid channels, and enters the nondamaged dopamine-producing neurons.
The enzymes in these neurons convert levodopa into dopamine, an excitatory neurotransmitter, and release it into the synapse.
Dopamine binds to its receptors on the post-synaptic neurons, triggering signal transmission.
Repeat the injections periodically to increase dopamine production.
Over time, excessive dopamine leads to overstimulation of its receptors and excessive neuronal signaling, which eventually disrupts the rat's body movements.
Place the rat in a cage and observe its behavior. The rat exhibits involuntary, repetitive body movements, known as dyskinesias, induced by levodopa.
Before the L-DOPA injection, add the appropriate volume of sterile saline to the pre-weighed,
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