Behavioral effects of selective and nonselective dopamine agonists on young rats after irreversible antagonism of D1 and/or D2 receptors.
In general, preweanling and adult rats respond similarly when challenged with competitive dopamine (DA) agonists or antagonists. In contrast, results using a noncompetitive antagonist suggest that the D1 and D2 receptor systems of preweanling and adult rats differ in some critical way. To further assess this phenomenon, the behavioral effects of irreversible receptor blockade were assessed across 8 days in NPA (a nonselective DA agonist), quinpirole (a D2 agonist), or SKF 38393 (a D1 agonist) treated 17-day-old rat pups. The irreversible antagonist N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline (EEDQ) did not block the locomotor activity and rearing of NPA- or quinpirole-treated rat pups, nor did EEDQ reduce SKF 38393-induced grooming. Moreover, pretreatment with EEDQ appeared to potentiate the normal increases in locomotor activity and rearing produced by NPA, but only when D2 receptors were not protected by a previous injection of sulpiride (a D2 antagonist). Taken together, these results are consistent with the presence of large reserves of D1 and D2 receptors in the preweanling rat pup.
McDougall
S A
SA
Department of Psychology, California State University, San Bernardino 92407.
Crawford
C A
CA
Nonneman
A J
AJ
D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001552:Benzazepines / Q000494:pharmacology; D065127:Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; D004873:Ergolines / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006120:Grooming / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D011804:Quinolines / Q000494:pharmacology; D019257:Quinpirole; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1 / Q000819:agonists* / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000819:agonists*; D013469:Sulpiride / Q000494:pharmacology
D001552:Benzazepines; D065127:Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; D004873:Ergolines; D011804:Quinolines; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D019257:Quinpirole; C000470:EEDQ; D013469:Sulpiride