Scopolamine self-administration: cholinergic involvement in reward mechanisms.
Naive rats readily learned to self-administer scopolamine, a centrally active anticholinergic antimuscarinic agent, by the intravenous route; drug intake remained constant while response rates decreased with increasing unit dose ((0.005-0.02 mg/kg/infusion). Increases and decreases in scopolamine responding were elicited by pretreatment with muscarinic agonists and antagonists, respectively. An anticholinergic action at muscarinic synapses appears to be sufficient for reinforcing efficacy; such an action may mediate, in part, the addictive properties of other drugs (e.g., opiates and phencyclidine-like hallucinogens) that are known to have anticholinergic effects.
D000818:Animals; D001115:Arecoline / Q000494:pharmacology; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D008464:Mecamylamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D019832:N-Methylscopolamine; D010095:Oxotremorine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D010830:Physostigmine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010862:Pilocarpine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012201:Reward; D012601:Scopolamine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012602:Scopolamine Derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D012646:Self Administration
D012602:Scopolamine Derivatives; D010862:Pilocarpine; D001115:Arecoline; D010095:Oxotremorine; D008464:Mecamylamine; D001285:Atropine; D010830:Physostigmine; D012601:Scopolamine; D019832:N-Methylscopolamine