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Effect of midbrain stimulation on amphetamine-induced stereotypy in rats

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Abstract

Behavioral changes were induced in rats by administration of high doses of amphetamine (5 mg/kg): among these was the development of rapid sniffing. The effect of electrical stimulation of the midbrain periaqueductal gray was then examined. This stimulation is known to release an enkephalin-like substance into the ventricular spinal fluid and to induce analgesia. Stimulation blocked amphetamine-induced sniffing. This effect was blocked in turn by pretreatment with naloxone, a specific opiate antagonist. We discuss this finding in the context of opiate-catecholamine antagonism in the CNS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, 06032, Farmington, CT, USA

    Allan Tasman

  2. Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA

    Richard H. Simon

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  1. Allan Tasman
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  2. Richard H. Simon
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Tasman, A., Simon, R.H. Effect of midbrain stimulation on amphetamine-induced stereotypy in rats. Psychopharmacology 79, 364–366 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00433419

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00433419

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