Haloperidol modulates midbrain-prefrontal functional connectivity in the rat brain

Advantages and Challenges of Small Animal Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a Translational Tool

“…In addition, the effect of pharmacological manipulations of functional connectivity can be studied preclinically (fig. 7) [30]. …”

“…The z coordinates are relative to the bregma; the x coordinate is relative to the midline. Cg = Cingulate cortex; dHC = dorsal hippocampus; IL = infralimbic cortex; LO = lateral orbital cortex; PrL = prelimbic cortex [30]. …”

Resting state functional connectivity: Its physiological basis and application in neuropharmacology

“…It would seem a natural extension to apply rsMRI in preclinical models of addiction to allow for more mechanistic, causally related investigations. Indeed, there has been tremendous progress over the past few years in characterizing large scale brain networks in drugnaïve rats (Bifone et al, 2010;Hutchison et al, 2010;Liang et al, 2011;Lu et al, 2012Lu et al, , 2007; applying rsMRI to rodent model of drug addiction may soon be on the horizon (Chen et al, 2011b;Gass et al, 2013;Schwarz et al, 2007aSchwarz et al, , 2007b …”

Long-term treatment with haloperidol affects neuropeptide S and NPSR mRNA levels in the rat brain

“…Studies by Zhang et al (18) prove that NPS expression in the locus coeruleus and a decrease of NPSR internalization level in the limbic system coexist with chronic pain and anxiety (24). On the other hand, NPS can stimulate inhibitory GABAergic transmission in the rat medial amygdala, reducing fear related responses (16).…”

“…Haloperidol, a classical but still widely administered D 2 receptor antagonist effectively reduces the psychosis suggesting impaired dopaminergic signaling as a key mechanism of positive schizophrenia symptoms (24). Noteworthy, haloperidol is a non-specific neuroleptic with affinity to numerous receptors, including dopamine D2, serotonin 5-HT2, -adrenergic and -opioid receptors (25)(26)(27).…”