Age-dependent plasticity in the dopaminergic control of sensorimotor development.

The role of brain dopamine (DA) in the control of sensorimotor function was studied in normal rat pups and in animals depleted of DA at various stages of development. Acute administration of the DA antagonist haloperidol produced akinesia and catalepsy in normal pups as early as 3 days of age and resulted in impaired orientation to somatosensory stimulation by 15 days of age. In contrast, near-total depletions of striatal DA incurred on day 3, 15, or 20 produced no obvious deficits in sensorimotor function either soon after the depletion or after the animals reached adulthood. Rats depleted of DA on day 27 exhibited akinesia, catalepsy, and sensory neglect. These deficits resembled those seen in comparably depleted adults except that they were more transient, lasting 1 week rather than 4-5 weeks. Moreover, while rats depleted as adults became akinetic and cataleptic after the stress of a cold water swim, animals depleted on day 27 did not. These findings demonstrate that DA is involved in sensorimotor function during early development. The data also reveal an impressive degree of plasticity in the neural controls of sensorimotor function and that the extent of this plasticity is dependent upon the age at the time of damage.