Abstract
Experiments on cats showed that lesions affecting retrieval of an operant food-procuring reflex, occurring on a background of systemic administration of the centrally-acting muscarinic cholinoceptor blocker scopolamine (a non-selective M-cholinoceptor blocker) and trihexyphenidyl (a relatively selective M1-cholinoceptor blocker), might be associated with the central and peripheral side effects of these blockers, preventing performance of the conditioned reflex. It was established that when no side effects were present (low doses of trihexyphenidyl, 1 mg/kg), blockade of M1-cholinoceptors led to selective loss of the motor operant reflex while contextual behavior and other conditioned responses were retained or led to errors in performance of the reflex; this appears to be evidence that derangement of launching and performing the motor program is the most important component of the conditioned reflex. Systemic administration of trihexyphenidyl at a dose of 10 mg/kg, scopolamine at doses of 0.03 and 0.06 mg/kg, and the peripherally-acting non-selective blocker methylscopolamine at a dose of 0.03 mg/kg led to changes in the general functional state (disturbances in the emotional-motivational sphere), the extent of which depended on the individual sensitivity of the animal to the anticholinergic agents. The presence of side effects led to complete cessation of conditioned reflex activity, though this appeared not to be associated with memory impairment.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
É. A. Asratyan, The Reflex Theory of Higher Nervous Activity [in Russian], Nauka, Moscow (1983).
Yu. Konorskii, The Integrative Activity of the Brain [Russian translation], Mir, Moscow (1970).
G. Kh. Merzhanova, E. É. Dolbakyan, and V. N. Khokhlova, "Interactions between neurons of the amygdala and hypothalamus during conditioned-reflex behavior involving selection of the quality of reinforcement in cats," Zh. Vyssh. Nerv. Deyat., 49, No. 5, 723 (1999).
K. B. Shapovalova, E. V. Pominova, and T. A. Dyubkacheva, "Characteristics of the effects of the cholinergic system of the rat neostriatum on learning of active avoidance in normal conditions and in conditions of lesions to the intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus," Ros. Fiziol. Zh. im. I. M. Sechenova, 82, No. 2, 1 (1996).
K. B. Shapovalova, "The cholinergic system of the striatum: involvement in the motor and sensory components of motor behavior," Zh. Vyssh. Nerv. Deyat., 47, No. 2, 393 (1997).
R. T. Bartus, R. L. Dean, M. J. Pontecervo, and C. Flicker, "The cholinergic hypothesis: a historical overview, current perspective, and future directions," Ann. N.Y. Acad Sci., 444, 332 (1985).
A. Blokland, "Involvement of striatal cholinergic receptors in reaction time and fixed-interval responding in rats," Brain Res. Byull., 45, 21 (1998).
A. Blokland, "Acetylcholine: a neurotransmitter for learning and memory?" Brain Res. Byull., 21, 285 (1996).
D. Blozovski and N. Hennocq, "Effects of antimuscarinic cholinergic drugs injected systemically or into the hippocampo-entorhinal area upon passive avoidance learning in young rats," Psychopharmacology, 76, 351 (1982).
P. J. Bushnell, W. M. Oshiro, and B. K. Padnos, "Detection of visual signals by rats: effects of chlordiazepoxide and cholinergic and adrenergic drugs on sustained attention," Psychopharmacology, 134, 230 (1997).
Y. Chudasoma and J. L. Muir, "A behavioural analysis of the delayed non-matching to position task: the effects of scopolamine, lesions of the fornix and of the prelimbic region on mediating behaviours by rats," Psychopharmacology, 134, 73 (1997).
M. C. Davidson, E. B. Cutrell, and R. T. Marrocco, "Scopolamine slows the orienting of attention in primates to cued visual targets," Psychopharmacology, 142, 1 (1999).
K. B. Domino and E. F. Domino, "Effects of scopolamine and methscopolamine on acquisition and retention of rat one-way shuttle box behavior and total brain acetylcholine," Arch. Intern. Pharmacodyn. Ther., 224, 248 (1976).
F. Dorje, J. Wess, G. Lambrecht, et al., "Antagonist binding profiles of five cloned human muscarinic receptor subtypes," J. Pharmacol. Exptl. Ther., 256, 727 (1991).
B. J. Everit and T. W. Robbins, "Central cholinergic systems and cognition," Ann. Rev. Psychol., 48, 649 (1997).
T. Goto, F. Kuzuya, H. Endo, et al., "Some effects of CNS cholinergic neurons on memory," J. Neurol. Transmis., 30, Suppl. 1, 1 (1990).
J. J. Hagan and P. G. M. Morris, "The cholinergic hypothesis of memory: a review of animal experiments," in: Handbook of Psychopharmacology, L. L. Iversen, S. D. Iversen, and S. H. Snyder (eds.), Plenum Press, New York (1988), p. 537.
V. Henzi, Y. Kubota, and M. Gabriel, "Scopolamine but not haloperidol disrupts training-induced neuronal activity in cingulate cortex and limbic thalamus during learning in rabbits," Brain Res., 518, 107 (1990).
A. H. Herremans, T. H. Hijzen, P. F. Welborn, et al., "Effects of infusion of cholinergic drugs into the prefrontal cortex area on delayed matching to position performance in the rat," Brain Res., 711, 102 (1996).
D. N. Jones and G. A. Higgins, "Effect of scopolamine on visual attention in rats," Psychopharmacology, 120, 142 (1995).
D. L. Kirkby, D. N. Jones, and G. A Higgins, "Influence of prefeeding and scopolamine upon performance in a delayed matching-to-position task," Behav. Brain Res., 67, 221 (1995).
P. M. Moran, "Scopolamine deficits in negative patterning discrimination: evidence for a role of the central cholinergic system in retention but not acquisition of non-spatial configural association learning," Behav. Bran Res., 48, 187 (1992).
H. Sato, Y. Hata, H. Masui, and T. Tsumoto, "A functional role of cholinergic innervation to neurons in the cat visual cortex," J. Neurophysiol., 58, 765 (1987).
A. Van Hest, J. Stroet, F. van Haaren, and M. Feenstra, "Scopolamine differentially disrupts the behavior of male and female Wistar rats in a delayed nonmatching to position procedure," Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav., 35, 903 (1990).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Khokhlova, V.N., Merzhanova, G.K. & Dolbakyan, É.E. The Role of Muscarinic Cholinoceptors in the Retrieval of an Operant Food-Related Conditioned Reflex in Cats. Neurosci Behav Physiol 31, 291–298 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010334601800
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010334601800