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Antagonism between physostigmine and atropine on the behavior of the pigeon

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Summary

The effects of physostigmine upon food-maintained operant behavior of the pigeon were investigated. Physostigmine completely suppressed responding for a period up to 180 minutes and small doses of atropine could antagonize this suppression. Neostigmine produced a similar suppression of behavior of shorter duration. Methylatropine, much less potent than atropine in antagonizing behavioral suppression by physostigmine, was more potent in antagonizing neostigmine. Nicotine produced a suppression of behavior similar to that produced by the two anticholinesterases, but neither methylatropine nor atropine antagonized this effect. These findings support the general supposition that suppression of behavior by physostigmine is in part mediated by muscarinic receptors in the central nervous system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. From the Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

    George E. Vaillant

  2. USPHS Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.A.

    George E. Vaillant

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  1. George E. Vaillant
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Dedicated to Professor Otto Krayer on his 65th birthday.

With 5 Figures in the Text

Thus study was supported by grants MH-02645, MH-02094 and 2M-7084 from the United States Public Health Service.

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Vaillant, G.E. Antagonism between physostigmine and atropine on the behavior of the pigeon. Naunyn-Schmiedebergs Arch 248, 406–416 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00246887

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00246887

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