Beschreibung:
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<jats:list-item><jats:p>We destroyed dentate granule cells unilaterally or bilaterally by means of intrahippocampal injection of colchicine in rats. Subsequently, we observed behavioural changes following the intraperitoneal injection of 2 mg kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> methamphetamine or saline, in addition to quantitatively assessing Fos protein expression in several brain regions, including the medial prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, piriform cortex, dorsal striatum, and nucleus accumbens.</jats:p></jats:list-item>
<jats:list-item><jats:p>Bilaterally lesioned animals, when administered saline, showed a marked increase in locomotor activity compared with those of non‐lesioned animals. With respect to the methamphetamine response, bilateral destruction resulted in a marked enhancement of locomotor activity, while the unilateral destruction led to a marked increase in rotation predominantly contralateral to the lesioned side, with no identifiable change in locomotor activity.</jats:p></jats:list-item>
<jats:list-item><jats:p>Bilaterally lesioned animals, when administered saline and having undergone an immunohistological examination, showed a marked increase in Fos expression in both sides of the nucleus accumbens. Bilaterally lesioned animals administered methamphetamine showed a marked increase in Fos expression in the right and left sides of all regions tested. Unilaterally lesioned animals administered methamphetamine showed a significant and bilateral enhancement in Fos expression in the medial prefrontal and cingulate cortices, and a marked and unilateral (ipsilateral to the lesioned side) enhancement of Fos protein in the piriform cortex, dorsal striatum, and nucleus accumbens.</jats:p></jats:list-item>
<jats:list-item><jats:p>The present findings suggest that dentate granule cells regulate methamphetamine‐associated behavioural changes through the function of widespread areas of the brain, mostly the nucleus accumbens.</jats:p></jats:list-item>
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</jats:p><jats:p><jats:italic>British Journal of Pharmacology</jats:italic> (2001) <jats:bold>134</jats:bold>, 1411–1418; doi:<jats:ext-link xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" ext-link-type="doi" xlink:href="10.1038/sj.bjp.0704370">10.1038/sj.bjp.0704370</jats:ext-link></jats:p>