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Behavioral recovery in rats during chronic reserpine treatment

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Summary

Spontaneous locomotor activity, rotarod performance and shuttlebox avoidance behavior were measured in rats 24 hours after each of ten daily injections of reserpine. Locomotor activity was significantly depressed after the third and fourth daily injections. However, by the end of the treatment period, locomotor activity of reserpnized rats was significantly higher than that of saline-injected controls. Rotarod performance and shuttle-box avoidance behavior were significantly depressed following the third and fourth doses, respectively, and showed no recovery during the total period of treatment. Body weights dropped progressively after the third day but never fell below 74% of control. Possible explanations for the differential behavioral effects are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire

    James H. Pirch & Richard H. Rech

  2. Department of Pharmacology, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, 27103, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

    James H. Pirch

Authors
  1. James H. Pirch
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  2. Richard H. Rech
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Additional information

Supported by USPHS grants NB 06013 and MH 11469.

Postdoctoral fellow of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (1-F2-GM31, 546-01).

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Pirch, J.H., Rech, R.H. Behavioral recovery in rats during chronic reserpine treatment. Psychopharmacologia 12, 115–122 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00401540

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