Abstract
Separate groups of two different rat breeding lines, Roman High Avoidance (RHA/Verh.) and Roman Low Avoidance (RLA/Verh.), treated with either saline, nicotine (0.2 mg/kg), or amphetamine (0.4 mg/kg) were compared for exploratory efficiency and for exploratory locomotion by using two different mazes on alternate testing days. The RHA/Verh. rats generally showed more locomotion but less intermaze transfer of exploratory efficency than the RLA/Verh. rats. Nicotine did not alter exploratory efficiency but stimulated locomotor activity in the RHA/Verh. rats, while it did not significantly alter either category of behavior in the RLA/Verh. rats. Amphetamine stimulated locomotor activity in both rat lines but this stimulation was weaker in comparison with that of nicotine. In contrast to nicotine, amphetamine impaired exploratory efficiency in the RHA/Verh. rats. Like nicotine, amphetamine did not significantly affect exploratory efficiency in the RLA/Verh. rats. The results demonstrate that, when the two lines of rats are compared, there is a dissociation of the two categories of behavior and a further differentiation between nicotine and amphetamine effects.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anisman, H., Kokkinidis, L.: Effects of scopolamine, d-amphetamine and other drugs affecting catecholamines on spontaneous alternation and locomotor activity in mice. Psychopharmacologia 45, 55–63 (1975)
Averett, J. W.: The effects of nicotine on weight increment, activity, food intake, and water intake in weanling albino rats. Diss. Abst. 23, 2187 (1962)
Barthelmy, C., Tremblay, E., Jacob, J.: Comparaison de divers antagonistes de l'ésérine et de la nicotine chez la souris. J. Pharmacol. (Paris) 1, 369–382 (1970)
Bättig, K., Rhiner, A.: Kontinulerliche und automatische Registrierung der spontanen Lokomotion von Ratten in einem komplexen Labyrinth. Helv. Physiol. Acta 24, C65-C66 (1966)
Bättig, K., Driscoll, P., Schlatter, J., Uster, H. J.: Effects of nicotine on the exploratory locomotion patterns of female Roman Low- and High-Avoidance rats. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 4, 435–439 (1976)
Bättig, K., Schlatter, J.: Effects of nicotine and amphetamine on maze exploration and on spatial memory by Roman high Avoidance and Roman Low Avoidance rats. In: Behavioral effects of nicotine, K. Bättig, ed. pp. 38–55. Basel: Karger 1978
Bättig, K., Schlatter, J.: Effects of sex and strain on exploratory locomotion and development of nonreinforced maze patrolling. Anim. Learn. Behav. 7, 99–105 (1979)
Bignami, G.: Selection for high rates and low rates of avoidance conditioning in the rat. Anim. Behav. 13, 221–227 (1965)
Broadhurst, P. L.: Pharmacogenetics. In: Handbook of psychopharmacology. Principles of behavioral pharmacology, L. L. Iversen, S. D. Iversen, and S. H. Snyder, eds., vol. 7, pp. 265–320. New York, London: Plenum 1977
Broadhurst, P. L., Bignami, G.: Correlative effect of psychogenetic selection: A study of the Roman High and Low Avoidance strains of rats. Behav. Res. Ther. 2, 273–280, (1965)
Buxton, D. A., Brimblecombe, R. W., French, M. C., Redferen, P. H.: Brain acetylcholine concentration and acetylcholinesterase activity in selectively-bred strains of rats. Psychopharmacology 47, 97–99 (1976)
Duncan, D. B.: Multiple range and multiple F-tests. Biometrics 11, 1–42 (1955)
Dütsch, H. R., Bättig, K.: Psychogenetische Unterschiede (RHA-vs-RLA-Ratten) im Vermeidungslernen, Offenfeldverhalten, Hebb-Williams-Intelligenztest und bei der Labyrinthexploration. Z. Exp. Angew. Psychol. 24, 230–243 (1977)
Fleming, J. C., Broadhurst, P. L.: The effects of nicotine on two way avoidance conditioning in bi-directionally selected strains of rats. Psychopharmacologia 42, 147–152 (1975)
Franken, R. E., Strain, A.: Effect of increased arousal on response to stimulus change in a complex maze. Percept. Mot. Skills 39, 1076–1078 (1974)
Garg, M.: Variation in effects of nicotine in four strains of rats. Psychopharmacologia 14, 432–438 (1969)
Garg, M., Holland, H. C.: Consolidation and maze learning: A study of some strain/drug interactions. Psychopharmacologia 14, 426–431 (1969)
Kumar, R.: Extinction of fear. 1. Effects of amylobarbitone and dexamphetamine given separately and in combination on fear and exploratory behavior in rats. Psychopharmacologia 19, 163–187 (1971)
Larson, P. S., Silvette, H.: Tobacco. Experimental and clinical studies, Suppl. 3. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins 1975
Makanjuola, R. O. A., Hill, G., Dow, R. C., Campbell, G., Asheroft, G. W.: The effect of psychotropic drugs on exploratory and stereotyped behavior of rats studied on a hole-board. Psychopharmacology 55, 67–74 (1977)
Mansner, R.: Relation between some central effects of nicotine and its brain levels in the mouse. Ann. Med. Exp. Biol. Fenn. 50, 205–212 (1972)
Mansner, R., Alhava, E., Klinge, E.: Nicotine hypothermia and brain nicotine and catecholamine levels in the mouse. Med. Biol. 52, 390–398 (1974)
Pradhan, S. N.: Effects of nicotine on several schedules of behavior in rats. Arch. Int. Pharmacodyn. Ther. 183, 127–138 (1970)
Robbins, T., Iversen, S.: A dissociation of the effects of d-amphetamine on locomotor activity and exploration in rats. Psychopharmacologia 28, 155–164 (1973)
Sachs, L.: Angewandte Statistik. 4. Auflage, Kap. 36.2, pp. 270–271, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1974
Schlatter, J., Bättig, K.: Effects of maze habituation and habituation to nicotine and amphetamine on exploratory locomotion patterns in rats. In: Behavioral effects of nicotine. K. Bättig, ed., pp. 56–69. Basel: Karger 1978
Satinder, K. P.: Arousal explains differences in avoidance learning of genetically selected rat strains. J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol 91, 1326–1336, 1977
Uster, H. J., Bättig, K., Nägeli, H. H.: Effects of maze geometry and experience on exploratory behavior in the rat. Anim. Learn. Behav. 4, 84–88 (11976)
Uster, H. J.: Analyse des Explorationsverhaltens von Ratten in Labyrinth unterschiedlicher Komplexität. Dissertation, ETH Nr. 6004, Zürich, 1977
Zeier, H., Bättig, K., Driscoll, P.: Acquisition of DRL-20 behavior in male and female, Roman High- and Low-Avoidance rats. Physiol. Behav. 20, 791–793 (1978)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schlatter, J., Bättig, K. Differential effects of nicotine and amphetamine on locomotor activity and maze exploration in two rat lines. Psychopharmacology 64, 155–161 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00496056
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00496056