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Behavioral effects of selective and nonselective dopamine agonists on young rats after irreversible antagonism of D1 and/or D2 receptors

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Abstract

In general, preweanling and adult rats respond similarly when challenged with competitive dopamine (DA) agonists or antagonists. In contrast, results using a noncompetitive antagonist suggest that the D1 and D2 receptor systems of preweanling and adult rats differ in some critical way. To further assess this phenomenon, the behavioral effects of irreversible receptor blockade were assessed across 8 days in NPA (a nonselective DA agonist), quinpirole (a D2 agonist), or SKF 38393 (a D1 agonist) treated 17-day-old rat pups. The irreversible antagonist N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline (EEDQ) did not block the locomotor activity and rearing of NPA- or quinpirole-treated rat pups, nor did EEDQ reduce SKF 38393-induced grooming. Moreover, pretreatment with EEDQ appeared to potentiate the normal increases in locomotor activity and rearing produced by NPA, but only when D2 receptors were not protected by a previous injection of sulpiride (a D2 antagonist). Taken together, these results are consistent with the presence of large reserves of D1 and D2 receptors in the preweanling rat pup.

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Author notes

  1. Cynthia A. Crawford

    Present address: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, VA Medical Center, University of California, 94143, San Francisco, CA, USA

  2. Arthur J. Nonneman

    Present address: Department of Psychology, Asbury College, 40390, Wilmore, KY, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, California State University, 92407, San Bernardino, CA, USA

    Sanders A. McDougall

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 40506, Lexington, KY, USA

    Cynthia A. Crawford & Arthur J. Nonneman

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  1. Sanders A. McDougall
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  2. Cynthia A. Crawford
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  3. Arthur J. Nonneman
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McDougall, S.A., Crawford, C.A. & Nonneman, A.J. Behavioral effects of selective and nonselective dopamine agonists on young rats after irreversible antagonism of D1 and/or D2 receptors. Psychopharmacology 111, 225–232 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02245528

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02245528

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