title: alpha-Adrenergic modulation of hypothalamic self-stimulation: effects of phenoxybenzamine, yohimbine, dexamphetamine and their interactions with clonidine.
abstract: The alpha-adrenoceptor agonist clonidine (12.5--50.0 microgram/kg) produced a dose-dependent increase in the latency to initiate lateral hypothalamic stimulation. The insurmountable postsynaptic alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phenoxybenzamine (0.2-0.8 mg/kg) had no effect on self-stimulation by itself, but potentiated the inhibitory effects of clonidine. The fact that the concurrent escape behavior to the intracranial stimulation was unchanged by either clonidine or the phenoxybenzamine-clonidine combination suggests that the inhibition is specific to the rewarding component of hypothalamic stimulation. Yohimbine (0.5--2.0 mg/kg) produced a dose-dependent increase in both response latencies. This lack of behavioral specificity may reflect yohimbine's wide range of pharmacological activity, Dexamphetamine (0.25--0.50 mg/kg) reversed clonidine's inhibition of self-stimulation reward in a specific and dose-dependent fashion. This reversal could be blocked by previous inhibition of catecholamine synthesis with alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine. These data support the concept that the alpha-adrenoceptors play a critical role in the modulation of hypothalamic self-stimulation reward. They further suggest that the inhibitory effects of clonidine on self-stimulation reward represent an agonist effect on presynaptic alpha-adrenoceptors.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003000:Clonidine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008781:Methyltyrosines / Q000494:pharmacology; D010643:Phenoxybenzamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011941:Receptors, Adrenergic / Q000187:drug effects*; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D012653:Self Stimulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D015016:Yohimbine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D008781:Methyltyrosines; D011941:Receptors, Adrenergic; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha; D010643:Phenoxybenzamine; D015016:Yohimbine; D003000:Clonidine; D003913:Dextroamphetamine