title: Pharmacological studies of grooming and scratching behavior elicited by spinal substance P and excitatory amino acids.
abstract: Compounds that produce depolarization of nociceptive neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord also elicit a rather specific kind of caudally directed biting, licking, and/or scratching behavior when they are injected intrathecally in mice. We sought to use this elicited grooming behavior as a test for compounds that might inhibit the neurons excited by the excitatory agents. All three neurokinins--substance P, neurokinin A (substance K), neurokinin B (neuromedin K)--and excitatory amino acids active at N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) or quisqualate receptors produce similar behaviors, which last for 1 minute after i.t. injection. Our data indicate that mu opioid agonists or alpha adrenergic agonists block both neurokinin-elicited behavior and EAA-elicited behavior; delta opioid agonists block only neurokinin-elicited behavior; and PCP/sigma "opioid" agonists block only EAA-elicited behavior. Somatostatin and serotonin produce qualitatively different behaviors by themselves and, when administered with neurokinins, partially block neurokinin-elicited behavior.
authors: Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis 55455.
authors: G L
authors: GL
authors: Wilcox
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D006120:Grooming / Q000187:drug effects*; D007278:Injections, Spinal; D015288:Neurokinin A; D015287:Neurokinin B; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D012701:Serotonin / Q000494:pharmacology; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000494:pharmacology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology*; D013373:Substance P / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014363:Tryptamines / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D009479:Neuropeptides; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D014363:Tryptamines; D012701:Serotonin; D013373:Substance P; C030820:tryptamine; D013004:Somatostatin; D015288:Neurokinin A; D015287:Neurokinin B