title: Suppression of pentobarbitone-induced hyperactivity by past experience in mice.
abstract: Locomotor activity of CD-1 mice, tested in an unfamiliar environment (toggle-floor box), was increased either by a subhypnotic dose (20 mg kg-1) of pentobarbitone or after recovery from pentobarbitone-induced (50 mg kg-1) anaesthesia. On the contrary, when mice were tested 6 h after a single exposure to the apparatus, pentobarbitone in either case failed to produce hyperactivity. The results demonstrate that mice recovering from barbiturate anaesthesia maintain susceptibility to the exteroceptive stimuli provided by a novel environment and knowledge of the environment acquired during past experience.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Psicobiologia e Psicofarmacologia, CNR, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sansone
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pavone
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Battaglia
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vetulani
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia; D000818:Animals; D004777:Environment; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D010424:Pentobarbital