title: Scopolamine produces locomotor stereotypy in an open field but apomorphine does not.
abstract: Both dopaminergic and nondopaminergic drugs produce hyperlocomotion in rats. Dopaminergic drugs also produce focused stereotypy (absence of locomotion and intense sniffing or licking/biting of a restricted area of the environment). Some drugs produce repetitive routes of locomotion; this phenomenon might represent a combination of hyperlocomotion and stereotypy. Scopolamine (an acetylcholine antagonist) and apomorphine (a dopamine agonist) both produce hyperlocomotion in rats; apomorphine also produces focused stereotypy but scopolamine does not. This research determines whether these drugs also produce locomotor stereotypy as measured by gamma. Scopolamine (0.5 and 2.0 mg/kg) produced locomotor stereotypy at both doses. Apomorphine (1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mg/kg) failed to reliably produce locomotor stereotypy. Thus, there is not necessarily a relationship between the ability of a drug to produce focused stereotypy and the ability of the drug to produce locomotor stereotypy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth 76129.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Peel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012601:Scopolamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D012601:Scopolamine; D001058:Apomorphine