Effects of atropine injection on food-associated drinking in rats with superior salivatory nucleus lesions.
The neuropharmacological mechanisms involved in the prandial drinking pattern seen in rats with superior salivatory nucleus lesions + parotidectomy were investigated with behavioral methods. Results showed that the administration of low doses (0.1 mg/kg body wt) of atropine in lesioned rats potentiated previously established prandial drinking. Higher doses of atropine (1.0 mg/kg), however, were required to induce a similar degree of prandiality in control rats (parotidectomy alone). These findings suggest that the salivatory nucleus lesions affected a cholinergic brainstem-salivary gland system involved in the neural control of food-associated drinking.
Ramos
J M
JM
Laboratorio de Psicobiología, Area de Psicobiología, Universidad de Granada, Spain.
Castillo
M E
ME
Puerto
A
A
D000818:Animals; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004327:Drinking Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects; D010306:Parotid Gland / Q000294:innervation; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012154:Reticular Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000294:innervation*; D012472:Salivation / Q000187:drug effects*; D013361:Sublingual Gland / Q000294:innervation; D013363:Submandibular Gland / Q000294:innervation
D001285:Atropine