Abstract
In subjects lightly restrained (Experiment I) pharmacological arousal via pilocarpine, physostigmine, or amphetamine administration, as compared to saline and methyl atropine treated controls, suppressed photically evoked after-discharge (PhAD) activity in visual cortex, while concomitantly inducing rhythmical slow-wave activity (RSA) in dorsal hippocampus. Incremental doses of amphetamine and pilocarpine correspondingly suppressed PhAD parameters in a dose-response fashion. While physostigmine treatment resulted in significant PhAD suppression, this effect could not be quantified in a dose-response manner. Incrementally increased cholinergic blockade via atropine administration also suppressed PhAD bursting yet simultaneously induced large amplitude irregular slow-wave activity (LIA) in dorsal hippocampus. When tested under identical conditions but in an unrestrained environment (Experiment II) PhADs were similarly suppressed with the concomitant induction of hippocampal patterns as specified in Experiment I; however, general ambulatory activity (grid-crossing) was differentially affected by the drugs. Amphetamine and atropine markedly enhanced while pilocarpine and physostigmine suppressed such activity. In both experiments, previously established PhAD-movement, PhAD-RSA-LIA, and RSA-LIA-movement relationships, occurring as hypothesized in amphetamine, methyl atropine, and saline treated animals, did not remain fully intact during cholinergic alteration.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bennett, T. L.: The effects of centrally blocking hippocampal theta activity on learning and retention. Behav. Biol. 9, 541–552 (1973)
Bigler, E. D.: Lateral geniculate multiple-unit activity related to Metrazol potentiated after-discharges. Electroenceph. clin. Neurophysiol. (in press)
Bigler, E. D., Fleming, D. E.: Habituation and the occurrence of photically evoked afterdischarges in the albino rat. Bull. Psychonom. Soc. 4, 275–277 (1974)
Bigler, E. D., Fleming, D. E., Shearer, D. E.: Pharmacological modulation of photically evoked afterdischarge patterns in hooded Long-Evans rats. Bull. psychonom. Soc. 4, 179–181 (1974)
Bradley, P. B.: The effect of atropine and related drugs on the EEG and behavior. In: Progress in brain research, vol.28, P. B. Bradley and M. Fink, eds., pp. 3–13. Amsterdam: Elsevier 1968
Domino, E. F., Dren, A. T., Yamamoto, K.: Pharmacologic evidence for cholinergic mechanisms in neocortical and limbic activating systems. In: Progress in brain research, vol. 27, W. R. Adey and T. Tokizane, eds., pp. 337–364. Amsterdam: Elsevier 1967
Draper, D. O., Venator, E. R.: Chronic attachment of a connector to a rat's skull without screws. Physiol. Behav. 9, 113 (1972)
Fleming, D. E., Bigler, E. D.: Relationship between photically evoked after-discharge occurrence and hippocampal EEG rhythms in restrained and unrestrained albino rats. Physiol. Behav. 13, 757–761 (1974)
Fleming, D. E., Rhodes, L. E., Wilson, C. E., Shearer, D. E.: Time-drug modulations of photically evoked after-discharge patterns. Physiol. Behav. 8, 1045–1049 (1972)
Fleming, D. E., Rhodes, L. E., Wilson, C. E., Shearer, D. E.: Differential effects of convulsive drugs on photically evoked after-discharge parameters. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 29, 77–84 (1973a)
Fleming, D. E., Wilson, C. E., Shearer, D. E.: Strain differences in the elicitation of electro-cortical after-discharges. Physiol. Behav. 10, 879–885 (1973b)
Fleming, D. E., Shearer, D. E., Creel, D. J.: Effect of pharmacologically induced arousal on the evoked potential in the unanesthetized rat. Pharmac. Biochem. Behav. 2, 187–192 (1974)
Kimura, D.: Multiple response of visual cortex of the rat to photic stimulation. Electroenceph. clin. Neurophysiol. 14, 115–122 (1962)
Klemm, W. R.: Dissociation of EEG and behavioral effects of ethanol provide evidence for a noncholinergic basis of intoxication. Nature (Lond.) 251, 234–236 (1974)
Klemm, W. R.: Effects of electric stimulation of brain stem reticular formation on hippocampal theta rhythm and muscle activity in unanesthetized, cervical- and midbraintransected rats. Brain Res. 41, 331–344 (1972)
Krnjević, K.: Chemical nature of synaptic transmission in vertebrates. Physiol. Rev. 54, 418–540 (1974)
Macadar, A. W., Chalupa, L. M., Lindsley, D. B.: Differentiation of brain stem loci which affect hippocampal and neocortical electrical activity. Exp. Neurol. 43, 499–514 (1974)
Mello, W. F., Schwartzbaum, J. S.: Effects of scopolamine upon behavioral reactivity and visually evoked potential to flashes in rats. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 85, 469–478 (1973)
Montplaisir, J. Y.: Cholinergic mechanisms involved in cortical activation during arousal. Electroenceph. clin. Neurophysiol. 38, 263–272 (1975)
Nakai, Y., Takaori, S.: Influence of norepinephrine-containing neurons derived from the locus coeruleus on lateral geniculate neuronal activities of cats. Brain Res. 71, 47–60 (1974)
Pepeu, G.: The release of acetylcholine from the brain: An approach to the study of the central cholinergic mechanisms. In: Progress in neurobiology, vol. 2, G. A. Kerkut and J. W. Phillis, eds., pp. 257–288. New York: Pergamon Press 1974
Phillis, J. W., Tebecis, A. K., York, D. H.: A study of cholinoceptive cells in the lateral geniculate nucleus. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 192, 695–713 (1967)
Pond, F. J., Schwartzbaum, J. S.: Interrelationships of hippocampal EEG and visual evoked responses during appetitive behavior in rats. Brain Res. 43, 119–137 (1972)
Schwartzbaum, J. S.: Interrelationship among multiunit activity of the midbrain reticular formation and the lateral geniculate nucleus, thalamocortical arousal, and behavior in rats. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 89, 131–157 (1975)
Schwartzbaum, J. S., Ide-Johanson, L., Belgrade, J.: Comparative effects of scopolamine and amphetamine upon behavioral reactivity and visual evoked potentials to flashes in rats. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 86, 1044–1051 (1974)
Schwartzbaum, J. S., Kreinick, C. J.: Electrophysiological and behavioral reactivity to photic stimuli following septal lesions and pharmacological treatments in rats. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 88, 128–146 (1975)
Schwartzbaum, J. S., Kreinick, C. J.: Interrelationships of hippocampal electroencephalogram, visually evoked response, and behavioral reactivity to photic stimuli in rats. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 85, 479–490 (1973)
Shearer, D. E., Fleming, D. E., Bigler, E. D., Wilson, C. E.: Suppression of photically evoked after-discharge bursting following administration of anticonvulsants in waking rats. Pharmac. Biochem. Behav. 2, 839–842 (1974)
Stumpf, Ch.: Drug action on the electrical activity of the hippocampus. In: International review of neurobiology, C. C. Pfeiffer and J. R. Smythies, eds., pp. 77–138. New York: Academic Press 1965
Theil, S., Klingberg, F.: Influence of nucleus centralis medialis of thalamus on the information processing in the lateral geniculate body of freely moving rat. Acta neurobiol. exp. 31, 373–382 (1971)
Torii, S., Wikler, A.: Effects of atropine on electrical activity of hippocampus and cerebral cortex in cat. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 73, 16–43 (1966)
Vanderwolf, C. H.: Neocortical and hippocampal activation in relation to behavior: Effects of atropine, eserine, phenothiazines, and amphetamine. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 88, 300–323 (1975)
Vanderwolf, C. H.: Limbic-diencephalic mechanisms of voluntary movement. Psychol. Rev. 78, 83–113 (1971)
Whishaw, I. Q., Vanderwolf, C. H.: Hippocampal EEG and behavior: Changes in amplitude and frequency of RSA (Theta rhythm) associated with spontaneous and learned movement patterns in rats and cats. Behav. Biol. 8, 461–484 (1973)
Winer, B. J.: Statistical principles in experimental design. New York: McGraw-Hill 1962
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
A major portion of this investigation was carried out in the Physiological Psychology Laboratory, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah and supported by the Research Division, Brigham Young University. Additional support by Barrow Neurological Institute of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona is gratefully acknowledged. E. D. Bigler, during the writing of the manuscript, was supported by GRS Grant RR-05575. Gratitude is also expressed to Dr. E. Eidelberg, Joy Harvey, and Rozella Dean for their assistance in the writing of this manuscript.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bigler, E.D., Fleming, D.E. Pharmacological suppression of photically evoked after-discharges in rats: Incremental dose, hippocampal EEG and behavioral activity correlates. Psychopharmacologia 46, 73–82 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421552
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421552