Effect of scopolamine on the reactivity of the albino rat to footshock.
To determine if anticholergic drugs altered reactions to footshock, 9 female albino rats were tested for escape latencies following unsignaled presentations of footshock in a two-chambered shuttlebox. Different intensities of footshock (0, 0.04, 0.07, and 0.10 ma) were varied orthogonally with various doses of intraperitoneally injected scopolamine hydrobromide (0, 1.0, 4.0 and 16.0 mg/kg). Shock trials were randomly alternated with nonshock (pseudoshock) trials to estimate any drug-induced activity increase which might occur independently of any alteration in reactivity to aversive stimulation. Results indicated that scopolamine produced a significant increase in reactivity to footshock (i.e., shorter escape latencies) at near-threshold intensities as well as producing the expected increase in general activity.
D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D004597:Electroshock; D005260:Female; D051381:Rats; D012601:Scopolamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical; D013997:Time Factors
D012601:Scopolamine