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Activation of 5-HT1C-receptors suppresses excessive wheel running induced by semi-starvation in the rat

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Abstract

Male Wistar rats were housed in cages linked to running wheels and fed on a schedule designed to reduce their body weight by 20–30%. During this period of semistarvation the rats increased their daily running wheel activity (RWA) by up to 30 km/day. RWA could be kept at this level provided that body weight was kept constant. Different serotonin receptor (5-HT) agonists and antagonists were tested for their effects on RWA and it was found that RWA could be suppressed only by agonists with high affinity for the 5-HT1C receptor (TFMPP, mCPP, DOI and quipazine). Serotonin receptor agonists, which do not pass the blood-brain barrier, and 5-HT itself had no effect on RWA. The inhibitory effect of the agonists on RWA was prevented by pretreatment with antagonists that also had high affinity for 5-HT1C receptors (mianserin, metergoline and mesulergine). From these results we conclude that semi-starvation-induced hyperactivity can be blocked by 5-HT1C agonists. Furthermore we suggest that the animal model presented in this study might be a useful tool for in vivo studies on selective 5-HT1C receptor activation.

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  1. T. Wilckens

    Present address: Department of Medicine, Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Disease, 750 Washington Street, NEMCH# 68, 02111, Boston, MA, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max Planck Institut für Psychiatrie, Kraepelinstrasse 10, W-8000, München 40, Federal Republic of Germany

    T. Wilckens, U. Schweiger & K. M. Pirke

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  1. T. Wilckens
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  2. U. Schweiger
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  3. K. M. Pirke
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Wilckens, T., Schweiger, U. & Pirke, K.M. Activation of 5-HT1C-receptors suppresses excessive wheel running induced by semi-starvation in the rat. Psychopharmacology 109, 77–84 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02245483

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02245483

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