Dopaminergic nature of amphetamine-induced pecking in pigeons.
d-Amphetamine was found to induce a pecking response in pigeons. The pecking response induced by d-amphetamine was antagonized by chlorpromazine, haloperidol or bulbocapnine indicating that this pecking response was caused by dopaminergic receptor stimulation. Pretreatment of pigeons with alpha-methyltyrosine (alpha-MT) reduced d-amphetamine-induced pecking, while the combined treatment of pigeons with alpha-MT and L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA, 100 mg/kg) partially restored the pecking response. d-Amphetamine-induced pecking was not reduced by a dopamine-beta-hydroxylase inhibitor, 1-phenyl-3-(2-thiazolyl)-2-thiourea (U-14,624). Alpha-MT reduced brain dopamine but not norepinephrine level, whereas U-14,624 decreased brain norepinephrine but not dopamine. Thus there is a correlation between brain dopamine level and d-amphetamine-induced pecking response. It is concluded that d-amphetamine-induced pecking is mediated indirectly by the release of dopamine.
D000818:Animals; D001519:Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D010856:Columbidae; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008781:Methyltyrosines / Q000494:pharmacology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000032:analysis; D011955:Receptors, Drug / Q000187:drug effects; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D013890:Thiourea / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology
D008781:Methyltyrosines; D011955:Receptors, Drug; D013890:Thiourea; D003913:Dextroamphetamine; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine