Skip to main content
Log in

Effects of daily SKF 38393, quinpirole, and SCH 23390 treatments on locomotor activity and subsequent sensitivity to apomorphine

  • Original Investigations
  • Published:
Psychopharmacology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In three experiments, male Wistar rats (250–350 g) were injected (SC) daily with the D1-type dopamine receptor agonist, SKF 38393 (0.0, 4.0, 8.0, or 16.0 mg/kg), the D2-type dopamine receptor agonist, quinpirole (0.0, 0.3, or 3.0 mg/kg), and/or the D1-type dopamine receptor antagonist, SCH 23390 (0.0 or 0.5 mg/kg) for 8–10 days. After each daily injection, the rats were tested for locomotor activity in photocell arenas for 20 min. Following this subchronic pretreatment, all rats were challenged with the mixed dopamine receptor agonist apomorphine (1.0 mg/kg, SC) and tested for locomotor activity. SKF 38393 treatments produced a dose-dependent decrease in locomotor activity which did not significantly change across days. Quinpirole also depressed locomotor activity when first injected, but this quinpirole-induced inhibition of activity progressively decreased across days. When subsequently challenged with apomorphine, rats in both the SKF 38393 and the quinpirole pretreatment groups displayed greater locomotor activity than rats pretreated with only vehicle. Although SCH 23390 pretreatments did not affect subsequent sensitivity to apomorphine, SCH 23390 completely blocked the effect of quinpirole. These results suggest that although repeated D1 receptor stimulation may be sufficient to induce behavioral sensitization to apomorphine, D2 receptor stimulation also contributes to the effect.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Braun AR, Chase TN (1988) Behavioral effects of chronic exposure to selective D-1 and D-2 dopamine receptor agonists. Eur J Pharmacol 147:441–451

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark D, White FJ (1987) Review: D1 dopamine receptor — the search for a function: a critical evaluation of the D1/D2 dopamine receptor classification and its functional implications. Synapse 1:347–388

    Google Scholar 

  • Criswell H, Mueller RA, Breese GR (1989) Priming of D1-dopamine responses: long lasting behavioral supersensitivity to a D1-dopamine agonist following repeated administration to 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. J Neurosci 9:125–133

    Google Scholar 

  • Diana M, Young SJ, Groves PM (1991) Modulation of dopaminergic terminal excitability by D-1 selective agents: further characterization. Neuroscience 42:441–449

    Google Scholar 

  • Drukarch B, Stoof JC (1990) D-2 dopamine autoreceptor selective drugs: do they really exist? Life Sci 47:361–376

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirabayasi M, Saito T, Tadokoro S (1991) Differential sensitization to ambulation-increasing effect of metamphetamine after repeated administration to mice in activity cages of different sizes. Jpn J Pharmacol 57:91–97

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry DJ, White FJ (1991) Repeated cocaine administration causes persistent enhancement of D1 dopamine receptor sensitivity within the rat nucleus accumbens. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 258:882–890

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry DJ, Greene MA, White FJ (1989) Electrophysiological effects of cocaine in the mesoaccumbens dopamine system: repeated administration. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 251:833–839

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman DC, Wise RA (1992) Locomotor-activating effects of the D2 agonist bromocriptine show environment-specific sensitization following repeated injections. Psychopharmacology 107:277–284

    Google Scholar 

  • Horger BA, Schenk S (1991) Sensitization to cocaine's reinforcing and motor activating effects: different response to quinpirole preexposure. Soc Neurosci Abstr 17:683

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalivas PW, Weber B (1988) Amphetamine injection into the ventral mesencephalon sensitizes rats to peripheral amphetamine and cocaine. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 245:1095–1101

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuczenski R, Leith NJ (1981) Chronic amphetamine: is dopamine a link in or a mediator of the development of tolerance and reverse tolerance? Pharmacol Biochem Behav 15:405–413

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch M (1991) Dissociation of autoreceptor activation and behavioral consequences of low-dose apomorphine treatment. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 15:689–698

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattingly BA, Gotsick JE (1989) Conditioning and experiential factors affecting the development of sensitization to apomorphine. Behav Neurosci 103:1311–1317

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattingly BA, Rowlett JK (1989) Effects of repeated apomorphine and haloperidol treatments on subsequent sensitivity to apomorphine. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 34:345–347

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattingly BA, Gotsick JE, Salamanca K (1988) Latent sensitization to apomorphine following repeated low doses. Behav Neurosci 102:553–558

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattingly BA, Rowlett JK, Graff JT, Hatton BJ (1991) Effects of selective D-1 and D-2 dopamine antagonists on the development of behavioral sensitization to apomorphine. Psychopharmacology 105:501–507

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattingly BA, Hart T, Lim K, Perkins C (1992) Role of dopamine receptor subtypes in the development of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization. Soc Neurosci Abstr 18:901

    Google Scholar 

  • Muller P, Seeman P (1979) Presynaptic subsensitivity as a possible basis for sensitivity by long-term dopamine mimetics. Eur J Pharmacol 55:149–158

    Google Scholar 

  • Niesewander JL, Lucki I, McGonigle P (1991) Behavioral and neurochemical effects of chronic administration of reserpine and SKF-39383 in rats. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 257:850–860

    Google Scholar 

  • Peris J, Zahniser NR (1989) Persistent augmented dopamine release after acute cocaine requires dopamine receptor activation. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 32:71–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Radhakishun FS, Van Ree JM (1987) The hypomotility elicited by small doses of apomorphine seems exclusively mediated by dopaminergic systems in the nucleus accumbens. Eur J Pharmacol 136:41–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Rebec GV, Lee EH (1982) Differential subsensitivity of dopaminergic and neostriatal neurons to apomorphine with long term treatment. Brain Res 250:188–192

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson TE, Becker JB (1986) Enduring changes in brain and behavior produced by chronic amphetamine administration: a review and evaluation of animal models of amphetamine psychosis. Brain Res Rev 11:157–198

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowlett JK, Mattingly BA, Bardo MT (1991) Neurochemical and behavioral effects of acute and chronic treatment with apomorphine in rats. Neuropharmacology 30:191–197

    Google Scholar 

  • Skirboll LR, Grace AA, Bunney BS (1979) Dopamine auto-and postsynaptic receptors: electrophysiological evidence for differential sensitivity to dopamine agonists. Science 206:80–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Stahle L, Ungerstedt U (1989) Yawning and suppression of exploration in amphetamine-treated rats: incompatibility with the autoreceptor hypothesis. Psychopharmacology 97:553–560

    Google Scholar 

  • Stahle L, Ungerstedt U (1990) Yawning and suppression of exploration induced by dopamine agonists: no relation to extracellular striatal levels of dopamine. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 35:201–209

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart J, Vezina P (1989) Microinjections of Sch-23390 into the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra pars reticulata attenuate the development of sensitization to the locomotor activating effects of systemic amphetamine. Brain Res 495:401–416

    Google Scholar 

  • Ujike H, Akiyama K, Nishikawa H, Onoune T, Otsuki S (1991) Lasting increase in D1 dopamine receptors in the lateral part of the substantia nigra pars reticulata after subchronic methamphetamine administration. Brain Res 540:159–163

    Google Scholar 

  • Vezina P, Stewart J (1989) The effect of dopamine receptor blockade on the development of sensitization to the locomotor activating effects of amphetamine and morphine. Brain Res 499:108–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Vezina P, Blanc G, Glowinski J, Tassin JP (1991) Opposed behavioral outputs of increased dopamine transmission in prefrontocortical and subcortical areas: a role for the cortical d-1 dopamine receptor. Eur J Neurosci 3:1001–1007

    Google Scholar 

  • White FJ, Hu XT, Brooderson RJ (1990) Repeated stimulation of dopamine D-1 receptors enhances the effects of dopamine receptor agonists. Eur J Pharmacol 191:497–499

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf ME, Roth RH (1987) Dopamine autoreceptors. In: Creese I, Fraser CM (eds) Dopamine receptors. Liss, New York, pp 45–96

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Portions of this paper were presented at the 1991 Society for Neuroscience meetings, New Orleans, La, USA.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mattingly, B.A., Rowlett, J.K. & Lovell, G. Effects of daily SKF 38393, quinpirole, and SCH 23390 treatments on locomotor activity and subsequent sensitivity to apomorphine. Psychopharmacology 110, 320–326 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02251287

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02251287

Key words

Navigation