Enhancement of glutamate release in the rat striatum following electrical stimulation of the nigrothalamic pathway.

The release of unlabelled amino acids and newly synthesized [3H]dopamine was estimated in the striatum of halothane-anaesthetized rats superfused using a push-pull cannula. Electrical stimulation of the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNR), enhanced the release of glutamate (maximal effect +51%) in the ipsilateral striatum. The outflow of [3H]dopamine, aspartate, serine and glutamine was unchanged. Seven-12 days after electrolytic lesion of the ipsilateral ventromedial nucleus of the thalamus SNR, stimulation no longer increased the striatal release of glutamate. It is suggested that electrical stimulation of the SNR enhances the striatal release of glutamate, presumably originating from corticostriatal fibres, by activating a nigrothalamocortical polysynaptic pathway.