Neuroleptic-induced "anhedonia" in rats: pimozide blocks reward quality of food.
The dopamine receptor blocker pimozide attenuated lever-pressing and running for food reward in hungry rats. In each case the characteristic behavior of pimozide-treated rats was the same as that of undrugged rats when reward was simply withheld. Drug-induced performance difficulties were ruled out by the presence of periods of normal responding in drug-treated animals. Pimozide appears to selectively blunt the rewarding impact of food and other hedonic stimuli.
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D010868:Pimozide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine / Q000187:drug effects; D012201:Reward; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology
D011954:Receptors, Dopamine; D010868:Pimozide