Muscular rigidity and delineation of a dopamine-specific neostriatal subregion: tonic EMG activity in rats.

In order to investigate the role of neostriatal dopamine receptors in muscular rigidity we have studied catalepsy and spontaneous muscle tone in rats receiving haloperidol injections into various parts of the neostriatum. It was found that low doses of haloperidol (250-750 ng/0.5 microliter) induced a tonic activity in the EMG of the gastrocnemius-soleus muscle when injected into the most rostral part of the neostriatum (A 8620-9650). This tonic EMG activity was found to be both dose-dependent and dopamine-specific: the haloperidol effect of 500 ng could be inhibited by 500 ng apomorphine. No muscular rigidity could be observed when haloperidol (500 ng/0.5 microliter) was injected further caudally into the neostriatum or into the medial part of the nucleus accumbens. With regard to the haloperidol-induced catalepsy as measured by means of the bar test, a similar distribution of effective and ineffective injection sites was observed; however, higher doses of haloperidol (1.5-2.5 micrograms/0.5 microliter) were required. Thus catalepsy and muscular rigidity were found to be closely related phenomena within the neostriatum. Finally, it is discussed how information relevant to tonic EMG activity is transmitted from the substantia nigra pars compacta to the superior colliculus and the ventromedial thalamus via the neostriatum and the substrate nigra pars reticulata.