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. 2009 Oct;116(10):1267-71.
doi: 10.1007/s00702-009-0261-6. Epub 2009 Jul 16.

Alterations of nocturnal activity in rats following subchronic oral administration of the neurotoxin 1-trichloromethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline

Thomas A Sontag  1 , Klaus W Lange, Christine Heim, Waclav Kolasiewicz, Oliver Tucha, Karl-Heinz Sontag
Affiliations

Alterations of nocturnal activity in rats following subchronic oral administration of the neurotoxin 1-trichloromethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline

Thomas A Sontag et al. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2009 Oct.

Abstract

1-Trichloromethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline (TaClo) is neurotoxic when administered to the brain and alters motor behaviour following intraperitoneal administration. We have assessed the long-term effects of oral TaClo administration on nocturnal motor behaviour in rats. Two groups of rats received TaClo orally at a dose of either 0.2 or 0.4 mg/kg twice daily for 7 weeks. The control group was given saline. No change in locomotor activity was observed 4-9 days after the end of the 7-week administration of TaClo. In addition, the spontaneous motor activity was altered dose-dependently 9 months after oral TaClo administration, with an increase in the low-dose TaClo group and a decrease in the high-dose group. Oral administration of TaClo in rats may be useful in investigating the hypothesis that in Parkinson's disease, an unknown pathogenic factor crossing the intestinal mucosa barrier can induce neurodegenerative processes eventually affecting the entire brain.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Distance travelled by the rats 9 months after the end of oral TaClo administration
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Time spent with stereotype movements in rats 9 months after the end of oral TaClo administration
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Burst of stereotype movements in rats 9 months after the end of oral TaClo administration
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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