Apomorphine: selective inhibition of the aversive component of lateral hypothalamic self-stimulation.
The effects of dopamine agonists on self-stimulation are a matter of considerable dispute. Apomorphine has variously been reported to inhibit, have no effect on, or to facilitate lever-press self-stimulation. To investigate the possibility that these discrepancies may reflect peculiarities of the lever-press test situation, the present study investigated the effects of apomorphine on locomotor initiation of and escape from lateral hypothalamic stimulation in a shuttle-box. Apomorphine had relatively little effect on the initiation behavior, but it produced a large and dose-dependent inhibition of escape. These data suggest that apomorphine acts to inhibit the aversive component of lateral hypothalamic stimulation. The implications of these findings for the usefulness of the shuttle-box in investigating the pharmacology of self-stimulation are discussed.
D000818:Animals; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D012653:Self Stimulation / Q000187:drug effects*
D001058:Apomorphine