• Bing Han, Hui Juan Jin, Mei Ying Song, Tian Wang, and Hua Zhao.
• Neuroscience Research Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China; Department of Physiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
• Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. 2014 Nov 1; 20 (11): 1191-5.

ObjectiveParkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder that is caused predominantly by the degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway. Lateral habenula (LHb) has efferent projections that terminate in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and electrical stimulation of the LHb effectively suppresses the activity of dopamine-containing neurons in the SNpc. This study was aimed to investigate whether LHb lesions can ameliorate the syndromes of PD via affecting the activities of SNpc neurons in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced PD model rats.MethodsConcentrations of dopamine (DA) and its metabolites dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in the striatum, which is the area projected by the SNpc dopaminergic neurons were assayed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with fluorescence detection. The immunohistochemical method was applied to detect the numbers of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive cells in the substantia nigra.ResultsThe results showed that LHb lesions induced a significant reduction in apomorphine-induced rotational behavior. The DA, DOPAC and HVA levels in the striatum of PD model rats were increased by the LHb lesions.ConclusionTherefore, we speculate that the LHb lesions induced a significant amelioration in motor disorders via increasing the DA levels in the striatum, which may lead to a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PD.Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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