posted on 2012-01-03, 00:00authored byHolden Brown
"In the brain, the neurotransmitter dopamine is released in the striatum in brief (phasic) bursts in spontaneously and after electrical stimulation of the dopamine cell bodies. This experiment examined how amphetamine administration alters phasic dopamine release in the striatum. Using the technique of fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, I measured sub-second changes in dopamine release with a carbon fiber electrode. Electroactive species such as dopamine, are oxidized and reduced at the surface of the electrode, recorded as changes in current. In contrast with in vitro experiments, these results suggest that amphetamine increases spontaneous phasic release events and decreases dopamine reuptake by the dopamine transporter. Thus, this research provides the first in vivo examination of sub-second changes in dopamine signaling following amphetamine treatment.
In each of graphs, phasic dopamine release is represented in color across time (x-axis). The top images display an increase in spontaneous phasic dopamine release events that occur following injection of amphetamine. The bottom images show dopamine release after electrical stimulation of the dopamine cell bodies after amphetamine, with increased maximal release and decreased reuptake."
Funding
University of Illinois at Chicago Graduate College
History
Publisher Statement
Entry 2011 in The Image of Research, a competition for students in graduate or professional degree programs at UIC, sponsored by UIC's Graduate College and the University Library. Images of award recipients and honorable mention images on exhibition in the Richard J. Daley Library, April 13-May 30, 2011.