Selective antagonism by clonidine of the stereotyped and non-stereotyped motor activity elicited by atropine.
The effects of clonidine, an indirectly-acting cholinergic antagonist, on 5 behaviors elicited by atropine (locomotion, rearing, sniffing, grooming and gnawing) were studied in rats. Clonidine did not alter the prevalence or magnitude of atropine-elicited locomotion and rearing. In contrast, clonidine suppressed the occurrence and degree of 3 stereotyped behaviors, namely, sniffing, grooming and gnawing. This selectivity of clonidine suggests differences in the neural pathways subserving the various stereotyped motor activities.
D000818:Animals; D001285:Atropine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003000:Clonidine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*
D001285:Atropine; D003000:Clonidine