Serotonergic involvement in the backward tumbling response of the parlor tumbler pigeon.
The parlor tumbler is a breed of domestic pigeon which displays a hereditary movement disorder resulting in backward somersaulting upon attempting to fly. A neurochemical abnormality has been suggested to underlie this behavior. The effect on tumbling of several drugs with serotonergic actions was studied. Increasing available serotonin with 5-hydroxytryptamine (50 mg/kg) plus fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) as well as using amitriptyline (10-20 mg/kg) significantly suppressed tumbling without sedation. This suggests that serotonin mechanisms may be involved in the tumbling response.
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010856:Columbidae / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005426:Flight, Animal; D008297:Male; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology*; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology
D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D012701:Serotonin