Neuropharmacology
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Currently, several studies addresses the novel link between sleep and dopaminergic neurotransmission, focusing most closely on the mechanisms by which Parkinson's disease (PD) and sleep may be intertwined. Therefore, variations in the activity of afferents during the sleep cycles, either at the level of DA cell bodies in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and/or substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) or at the level of dopamine (DA) terminals in limbic areas may impact functions such as memory. Accordingly, we performed striatal and hippocampal neurochemical quantifications of DA, serotonin (5-HT) and metabolites of rats intraperitoneally treated with haloperidol (1.5 mg/kg) or piribedil (8 mg/kg) and submitted to REM sleep deprivation (REMSD) and sleep rebound (REB). ⋯ Conversely, the activation of D2 receptor counteracted such memory impairment. Therefore, the present evidence reinforce that the D2 receptor is a key player in the SNpc neuronal activation mediated by REMSD, as a consequence these changes may have direct impact for cognitive and sleep abnormalities found in patients with PD. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'The Synaptic Basis of Neurodegenerative Disorders'.