https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28186/1/0000638.pdf

The functional anatomy of basal ganglia disorders.

Protein kinase C is now known to be a large family of proteins, with multiple subspecies that have subtle individual enzymological characteristics. Some members of the family exhibit distinct patterns of tissue expression and intracellular localization; different kinases probably have distinct functions in the processing and modulation of a variety of physiological and pathological responses to external signals.

The molecular heterogeneity of protein kinase C and its implications for cellular regulation

The striatum, which is the major component of the basal ganglia in the brain, is regulated in part by dopaminergic input from the substantia nigra. Severe movement disorders result from the loss of striatal dopamine in patients with Parkinson's disease. Rats with lesions of the nigrostriatal dopamine pathway caused by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) serve as a model for Parkinson's disease and show alterations in gene expression in the two major output systems of the striatum to the globus pallidus and substantia nigra. Striatopallidal neurons show a 6-OHDA-induced elevation in their specific expression of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) encoding the D2 dopamine receptor and enkephalin, which is reversed by subsequent continuous treatment with the D2 agonist quinpirole. Conversely, striatonigral neurons show a 6-OHDA-induced reduction in their specific expression of mRNAs encoding the D1 dopamine receptor and substance P, which is reversed by subsequent daily injections of the D1 agonist SKF-38393. This treatment also increases dynorphin mRNA in striatonigral neurons. Thus, the differential effects of dopamine on striatonigral and striatopallidal neurons are mediated by their specific expression of D1 and D2 dopamine receptor subtypes, respectively.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/250/4986/1429.full.pdf

D1 and D2 dopamine receptor-regulated gene expression of striatonigral and striatopallidal neurons

The neurohypophysial peptide oxytocin (OT) and OT-like hormones facilitate reproduction in all vertebrates at several levels. The major site of OT gene expression is the magnocellular neurons of the hypothalamic paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei. In response to a variety of stimuli such as suckling, parturition, or certain kinds of stress, the processed OT peptide is released from the posterior pituitary into the systemic circulation. Such stimuli also lead to an intranuclear release of OT. Moreover, oxytocinergic neurons display widespread projections throughout the central nervous system. However, OT is also synthesized in peripheral tissues, e.g., uterus, placenta, amnion, corpus luteum, testis, and heart. The OT receptor is a typical class I G protein-coupled receptor that is primarily coupled via Gq proteins to phospholipase C-β. The high-affinity receptor state requires both Mg2+ and cholesterol, which probably function as allosteric modulators. The agonist-binding region of the receptor has bee...

The Oxytocin Receptor System: Structure, Function, and Regulation

The human stress response has been characterized, both physiologically and behaviorally, as "fight-or-flight." Although fight-or-flight may characterize the primary physiological responses to stress for both males and females, we propose that, behaviorally, females' responses are more marked by a pattern of "tend-and-befriend." Tending involves nurturant activities designed to protect the self and offspring that promote safety and reduce distress; befriending is the creation and maintenance of social networks that may aid in this process. The biobehavioral mechanism that underlies the tend-and-befriend pattern appears to draw on the attachment-caregiving system, and neuroendocrine evidence from animal and human studies suggests that oxytocin, in conjunction with female reproductive hormones and endogenous opioid peptide mechanisms, may be at its core. This previously unexplored stress regulatory system has manifold implications for the study of stress.

/pdf/biobehavioral-responses-to-stress-in-females-tend-and-2yimakv5ai.pdf

Biobehavioral responses to stress in females: tend-and-befriend, not fight-or-flight.

Oxytocin: the Great Facilitator of Life

A new method for receptor autoradiography: [3H]opioid receptors in rat brain.

Distribution of striatonigral and striatopallidal peptidergic neurons in both patch and matrix compartments: an in situ hybridization histochemistry and fluorescent retrograde tracing study

W. Scott Young

Papers

Oxytocin: the Great Facilitator of Life

A new method for receptor autoradiography: [3H]opioid receptors in rat brain.

Distribution of striatonigral and striatopallidal peptidergic neurons in both patch and matrix compartments: an in situ hybridization histochemistry and fluorescent retrograde tracing study

Vasopressin: behavioral roles of an "original" neuropeptide.

Quantitative in situ hybridization histochemistry reveals increased levels of corticotropin-releasing factor mRNA after adrenalectomy in rats.