Abstract
Rats (N=11) were trained to discriminate SKF 38393 (8.0 mg/kg, IP), a D1 dopamine receptor agonist, from saline in a two-lever, food-reinforced (FR 30) drug discrimination paradigm. The discrimination was acquired by nine rats within an average of 77±6 (SEM) sessions. Subsequently, various doses of SKF 38393 as well as SKF 82526, a potent, selective D1 agonist that does not readily penetrate the blood-brain barrier, were injected prior to test sessions. SKF 38393 (2–16 mg/kg) produced a dose-related increase in the percent of responses that occurred on the drug lever during test sessions. On the other hand, SKF 82526 (0.125 and 1.0 mg/kg) induced no drugappropriate responding. This experiment establishes that SKF 38393 can serve as a discriminative stimulus in rats. Furthermore, the observation that SKF 82526 did not substitute for SKF 38393 in this paradigm makes it unlikely that this effect involves a peripheral site of action. The results suggest the existence of a functional, behaviorally relevant D1 dopamine receptor in the CNS of rats.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Appel JB, White FJ, Holohean AM (1982) Analysing mechanism(s) of hallucinogenic drug action with drug discrimination procedures. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 6:529–536
Hahn RA, Wardell JR Jr, Sarau HM, Ridley PT (1982) Characterization of the peripheral and central effects of SKF 82526, a novel dopamine receptor agonist. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 223:305–313
Herling S, Woods JH (1981) Discriminative stimulus effects of narcotics: evidence for multiple receptor-mediated actions. Life Sci 28:1571–1584
Jones CN, Hill HF, Harris RT (1974) Disciminative response control by d-amphetamine and related compounds in rats. Psychopharmacology 36:347–356
Kebabian JW, Calne DB (1979) Multiple receptors for dopamine. Nature 277:93–96
Martin WR, Eades CG, Thompson JA, Huppler RE, Gilbert PE (1976) The effects of morphine- and nalorphine-like drugs in the non-dependent and morphine-dependent chronic spinal dog. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 197:517–532
Molloy A, Waddington JL (1983) Resolution of the individual components of behavioural response to apomorphine and SKF 38393. Br J Pharmacol 80:428
Overton DA (1971) Discriminative control of behavior by drug states. In: Thompson T, Pickens R (eds) Stimulus properties of drugs. Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, pp 87–110
Rosecrans JA, Kallman MJ, Glennon R (1978) The nicotine cue: An overview. In: Colpaert FC, Rosecrans JA (eds) Stimulus properties of drugs: Ten years of progress. Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press, Amsterdam, pp 69–81
Rosengarten H, Schweitzer JW, Friedhoff AJ (1983) Induction of oral dyskinesias in naive rats by D1 stimulation. Life Sci 33:2479–2482
Setler PE, Sarau HM, Zirkle CL, Saunders HL (1978) The central effects of a novel dopamine agonist. Eur J Parmacol 50:419–430
Woolverton WL, Kamien JB, Goldberg LI (1985) Effects of selective dopamine receptor agonists in rats trained to discriminate apomorphine from saline. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 22:577–581
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kamien, J.B., Woolverton, W.L. The D1 dopamine agonist SKF 38393 functions as a discriminative stimulus in rats. Psychopharmacology 87, 368–370 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00432723
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00432723