Phencyclidine-induced disruption of an aversely motivated two-choice successive discrimination in the rat.
Rats were trained to performed an aversely motivated discriminative task in a shuttle-box. The administration of phencyclidine (PCP), 2 mg kg-1 SC at -20 min, produced disruption of discriminative performance and an increase in intertrial crosses. There were no changes in avoidance performance or in avoidance latency. Pretreatment with haloperidol, 0.1 or 0.2 mg kg-1 SC at -40 min, or remoxipride 8 mg kg-1 IP at -30 min, did not antagonize the PCP-induced disruption of discriminative performance, nor was the PCP-induced increase in number of intertrial crosses antagonized. In fact, there appeared to be a further increase in intertrial crosses, above PCP levels, by haloperidol treatment and this effect was statistically significant after remoxipride treatment. The present results, together with previous observations that also d-amphetamine disrupts discriminative conditioned avoidance behavior, suggest the possibility that this model could be used in the search for new, non-dopaminergic, antipsychotic drugs.
Ericson
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Department of Neuropharmacology, Astra Research Centre AB, Södertälje, Sweden.
Ahlenius
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D000661:Amphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D001549:Benzamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D010622:Phencyclidine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D017330:Remoxipride
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D001549:Benzamides; D017330:Remoxipride; D000661:Amphetamine; D010622:Phencyclidine; D006220:Haloperidol