Effects of L-DOPA and STN-HFS dyskinesiogenic treatments on NR2B regulation in basal ganglia in the rat model of Parkinson's disease

Dyskinesia is a major side effect of chronic levodopa (L-DOPA) administration, the reference treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD). High-frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-HFS) alleviates parkinsonian motor symptoms and indirectly improves dyskinesia by decreasing L-DOPA requirement. However, inadequate stimulation can also trigger dyskinetic movements in PD patients and animal models. Here, we investigated the possible association between L-DOPA- and STN-HFS-induced dyskinesia and regulation of the NR2B subunit of NMDA receptors in the rodent model of PD. We subjected 6-OHDA-lesioned rats to HFS for 1 h, at an intensity triggering forelimb dyskinesia. Other 6-OHDA-lesioned rats were treated with chronic high doses of L-DOPA for ten days, to induce abnormal involuntary movements. The 6-OHDA lesion regulated NR2B only in the SNr, where the activation of NR2B was observed (as assessed by phosphorylation of the Tyr1472 residue). Both STN-HFS and L-DOPA dyskinesiogenic treatments induced NR2B activation in the STN and EP, but only L-DOPA triggered NR2B hyperphosphorylation in the striatum. Finally, the use of CP-101,606 exacerbated L-DOPA-induced motor behavior and associated NR2B hyperphosphorylation in the striatum, STN and EP. Thus, NR2B activation in basal ganglia structures is correlated with dyskinesia.

► The impact of L-DOPA and STN-HFS on NR2B regulation in the basal ganglia of PD rat model. ► Only L-DOPA induced NR2B hyperphosphorylation in the striatum of 6-OHDA rat. ► Both dyskinesiogenic treatments induced NR2B hyperphosphorylation in the STN and the EP. ► finally, NR2B activation in basal ganglial structures is correlated with dyskinesia.