7-Hydroxy-N,N'-di-n-propyl-2-aminotetraline, a preferential dopamine D3 agonist, induces c-fos mRNA expression in the rat cerebellum.

The effects of a preferential dopamine D3 receptor agonist 7-hydroxy-N,N'-di-n-propyl-2-aminotetralin (7-OH-DPAT) on c-fos mRNA expression in the rat cerebellum were studied by Northern blot analysis. 7-OH-DPAT (0.003-10 mg/kg, s.c.) markedly increased c-fos mRNA expression in the cerebellum, while its effects in the striatum, nucleus accumbens, and frontal cortex were negligible. The effect of 7-OH-DPAT on cerebellar c-fos mRNA expression was dose-dependent and statistically significant at doses of 0.3 mg/kg or more. A preferential dopamine D2 agonist, bromocriptine (0.01-3 mg/kg, s.c.), failed to increase c-fos mRNA expression in the cerebellum. The effect of 7-OH-DPAT was blocked by two dopamine D2-type-receptor antagonists, haloperidol and perospirone, but not the D1-type-receptor antagonist SCH23390. Furthermore, dopaminergic denervation by 6-hydroxydopamine did not inhibit but rather potentiated the 7-OH-DPAT-induced c-fos mRNA expression in the cerebellum. These findings suggest that 7-OH-DPAT increases c-fos mRNA expression in the rat cerebellum, probably through postsynaptic dopamine D3 receptor activation.