Active and passive avoidance following the administration of systemic DSP4, xylamine, or p-chloroamphetamine.
Groups of rats were administered either DSP4 (50 mg/kg, ip), xylamine (50 mg/kg, ip), or p-chloroamphetamine (2 X 10 mg/kg, ip), either 2 weeks or 1 week before the testing of two-way active avoidance. DSP4 and xylamine, the selective noradrenaline (NA) neurotoxins, caused a two-way avoidance impairment but p-chloroamphetamine, the selective 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) neurotoxin, did not do so. Pretreatment with desipramine (20 mg/kg, ip) blocked the avoidance impairment caused by DSP4 and xylamine treatment. Neither DSP4 nor xylamine caused any alteration of passive avoidance retention. The biochemical analyses indicated severe NA, but not 5-HT, depletions in the DSP4 and xylamine conditions and drastic 5-HT, but not NA, depletions in the p-chloroamphetamine conditions. These results confirm and extend earlier findings concerning the role of NA in avoidance behavior.
D000662:Amphetamines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D001596:Benzylamines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000378:metabolism; D004347:Drug Interactions; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009588:Nitrogen Mustard Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D010133:p-Chloroamphetamine / Q000008:administration & dosage*
D000662:Amphetamines; D001596:Benzylamines; D002395:Catecholamines; D009498:Neurotoxins; D009588:Nitrogen Mustard Compounds; D010133:p-Chloroamphetamine; C026131:xylamine; C012102:DSP 4