The effects of intranigral injections of picrotoxin and carbachol in cats with a lesioned nigrostriatal pathway.
Picrotoxin, carbachol and atropine were injected intranigrally through chronically implanted crannulae in cats. The drug-induced behavioural syndromes, mainly asymmetric behaviour, were analyzed. The changes in these syndromes after 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion of the substantia nigra (SN) indicate that, in addition to the dopaminergic (DA), a non-catecholaminergic (non-CA) nigral output exists, both being responsible for asymmetric behaviour. It is further suggested that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors are present on both dopaminergic and non-CA nigral output neurons, while acetylcholine (ACh) receptors, responsible for asymmetric behaviour, are almost exclusively located on non-CA nigral output neurons.
D000818:Animals; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002217:Carbachol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002415:Cats; D006892:Hydroxydopamines / Q000494:pharmacology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000032:analysis; D010852:Picrotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000032:analysis; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000032:analysis*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism
D001285:Atropine; D002217:Carbachol; D006892:Hydroxydopamines; D010852:Picrotoxin; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid