Neuropeptide and immediate early gene expression in striatonigral neurons of the normotensive striatum is induced by mixed D1 receptor SKF-82958, which induces behavioral activity and preprodynorphin (PPD) and substance P (SP) gene expression in medium spiny neurons in the dorsal, and especially, in the ventral striatum.

Quantitative in situ hybridization was used to examine the contribution of muscarinic receptors to the transsynaptic regulation of striatal gene expression induced by D1receptor activation. The acute injection of the full D1 agonist, SKF-82958, would induce PPD, SP, and PPE mRNA expression in the intact rat striatum.