Dopamine (DA) is a crucial neurotransmitter in the brain, having direct implications in neurological and neurodegenerative diseases as well as limbic and motor control functions. Dysfunction or dysregulation of dopaminergic pathways contribute to diseases like Schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease. Voltammetry has been used previously in attempts to quantify the basal concentration of DA within the striatum, though there was has been significant disagreement as to what the true concentration is due to the large background subtractions required for Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry. The research conducted aimed to quantify the concentration of basal DA within the rat striatum utilizing square wave voltammetry (SWV) at poly(3,4 ethylene dioxythiophene)/carbon nanotube (PEDOT/CNT) functionalized carbon fiber microelectrodes, which are capable of measuring resting DA with high sensitivity and selectivity. To determine the concentration of DA within the striatum, PEDOT/CNT microelectrode implantation surgeries will be performed using stereotaxic technique. Intrastriatal infusions of kynurenic acid (KYNA) (200 nL of 1 mM) (N=6), an inhibitor of alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or a saline vehicle (N=6) will be used to reduce basal DA in the rat striatum. Post-infusion, electrochemical recordings will be collected to observe changes in extracellular DA. All <i>in vivo</i> data will be analyzed via fitting a 2<sup>nd</sup> order polynomial allowing each SWV scan to be evaluated independently for DA concentration. It is hypothesized that KYNA infusion will significantly reduce basal DA, and that the basal concentration of DA within the striatum will be between 75 and 100 nM, based on prior literature and data collected thus far in the study.

Quantification of basal dopamine in the rat striatum via square wave voltammetry at PEDOT/CNT microelectrodes

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.