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A comparison of the effects of muscarinic and nicotinic anticholinergic drugs on habituation and fear conditioning in rats

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Abstract

Comparisons were made between the effects of scopolamine and mecamylamine in two behavioral paradigms that have been found to be sensitive to cholinergic disruption by antimuscarinic compounds (i.e., habituation and fear conditioning). In the habituation paradigm, water deprived rats were exposed to a novel environmental chamber under either scopolamine, methscopolamine, mecamylamine, hexamethonium or saline. Three days later all animals were returned to the same chamber which now contained a drinking tube. Time to complete 100 licks was used to assess habituation. Only the rats trained under scopolamine showed long drinking times (failed to habituate to the apparatus stimuli) thereby demonstrating the central muscarinic nature of the habituation process. In the fear conditioning paradigm, hungry rats, trained to drink milk in a test chamber, received a single electric shock 20 min after injections of either scopolamine, mecamylamine, hexamethonium or saline. Three days later subgroups were tested for conditioned suppression under either the same drug conditions or saline. Conditioned suppression was found in all groups except those trained under scopolamine or mecamylamine and tested under saline. Apparently the processes underlying this asymmetrical dissociation are not predominantly nicotinic or muscarinic in nature.

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Author notes

  1. H. H. Avis

    Present address: Laboratory of Psychobiology, Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute, San Francisco, California

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Experimental Medicine Branch, Biomedical Laboratory, 21010, Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland, USA

    H. H. Avis & Agu Pert

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  1. H. H. Avis
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  2. Agu Pert
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In conducting the research described in this report, the investigators adhered to the “Guide for Laboratory Animal Facilities and Care” as promulgated by the Committee on the Guide for Laboratory Animal Resources, National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council.

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Avis, H.H., Pert, A. A comparison of the effects of muscarinic and nicotinic anticholinergic drugs on habituation and fear conditioning in rats. Psychopharmacologia 34, 209–222 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421962

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421962

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