AUTORADIOGRAPHIC STUDY OF MITOCHONDRIAL COMPLEX-I AND GLUTAMATE RECEPTORS IN THE BASAL GANGLIA OF RATS AFTER UNILATERAL SUBTHALAMIC LESION

A unilateral lesion of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) induced, in the short-term (less than or equal to 1 week), an ipsilateral decrease in [H-3]dihydrorotenone binding to complex I in entopeduncular nucleus and substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr). A slight reduction of [H-3]MK-801 binding to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the ipsilateral SNr was also found, whereas no changes in [H-3]alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole propionic acid binding were observed. The complex I decrease likely reflects a reduction in neuronal activity subsequent to the interruption of excitatory signaling from STN. The unexpected decrease in [H-3]MK-801 binding in SNr may be related to presynaptic NMDA receptor modifications.