Accommodation of rat nigrostriatal dopamine neurones to high frequency electrical stimulation of the median forebrain bundle: in vivo voltammetric data.

The frequency response of nigrostriatal neurones to electrical stimulation of the median forebrain bundle was investigated in vivo using high-speed cyclic voltammetry to measure the evoked striatal dopamine overflow. It was found that the nerves could follow 25-50 Hz stimulation for at least 10 s, whereas the neurones were unable to respond to high frequencies (100-200 Hz) for more than 1-3 s. Accommodation, due to incomplete re-equilibration of ionic fluxes between successive stimuli, provides a possible explanation for these findings.