title: Induction of oral stereotypy following amphetamine microinjection into a discrete subregion of the striatum.
abstract: Amphetamine and other psychostimulant drugs induce perseverative motor behavior in rodents, such as compulsive sniffing, licking and biting. Although it is known that this behavior, termed stereotypy, is a consequence of dopaminergic stimulation of the striatum, the precise localization of the site of activation is unclear. It is reported here that microinjection of amphetamine (20 micrograms/0.5 microliter) into a circumscribed subregion of the striatum specifically produces intense oral stereotypy. It is proposed that this region, which corresponds to a small area within the ventrolateral striatum, contains motor circuitry critical to oral behavior, including feeding. The behavior elicited by amphetamine-induced stimulation of this area may represent a simple animal model in which to study certain orofacial dyskinesias.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Kelley
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gauthier
mesh_terms: D000661:Amphetamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008297:Male; D008845:Microinjections; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000661:Amphetamine