ABSTRACT
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 84
Importance of Dopamine and the Dopamine Transporter (DAT)........................................... 84
Non-Electrochemical Methods Used to Measure DAT Number and Function ...................... 86
Radioligand Binding and Antibodies ................................................................................... 86
DA Uptake Assays ............................................................................................................... 86
DAT-Associated Currents .................................................................................................... 87
In Vivo Microdialysis........................................................................................................... 87
Electrochemical Methods Used to Measure In Vitro and In Vivo DAT Function ................ 88
Use of High-Speed Chronoamperometry (HSC) with Local DA Application
to Measure In Vivo DAT Function in Discrete Brain Regions of
Anesthetized Rats and Mice......................................................................................................... 89
Methods .................................................................................................................................... 89
HSC....................................................................................................................................... 89
Electrode Construction, Calibration, and Assembly with Micropipettes ............................ 89
Surgical Procedures .............................................................................................................. 91
Experimental Details ............................................................................................................ 92
Data Analysis........................................................................................................................ 92
Results....................................................................................................................................... 94
Summary of Evidence That This Approach Measures DAT Function ............................... 95
Rapid Regulation of DAT Can Influence Measures of Exogenous DA Clearance ............ 95
Additional Applications of HSC with Local DA Application to Measure DAT Function ........ 96
In Vitro Recording in Acutely Prepared Brain Slices ............................................................. 96
In Vivo Chronic Recording in Freely Behaving Rats ............................................................. 97
Future Directions in Using HSC to Measure DAT Function ...................................................... 98
Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................ 98
References .................................................................................................................................... 98
The catecholamine dopamine (DA) is a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system,
where it
contributes to normal physiological functions such as motor planning and movement, affect, and
reward. Accordingly, DA also plays an important role in diseases such as Parkinson’s disease,
schizophrenia, and drug addiction. Thus, there are many reasons why neuroscientists and clinicians
are interested in understanding DA neurotransmission and how it is regulated.
