Dopamine receptor blockade and reductions in thirst produce differential effects on drinking behavior.
The present study examined whether thirsty rats pretreated with the dopamine receptor blocker, pimozide, would show patterns of unconditioned drinking behavior similar to those produced by reductions in water deprivation. An examination of the drinking behavior of 23-, 16-, 12-, 4-, and 0-h water-deprived animals showed that reductions in thirst produced increased latencies to initiate drinking, changes in the within-session pattern of licking, and reductions in the total number of licks emitted. In contrast, administration of pimozide to 23-h deprived rats produced no effect on either initiation latencies or lick patterns, and only marginally reduced the total number of licks emitted during the session. Finally, pimozide produced no effect on either individual lick durations or interlick intervals. These results suggest that the primary motivational (i.e., "thirst") mechanisms and motoric processes underlying drinking behavior are relatively invulnerable to pimozide challenge.
Horvitz
J C
JC
Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara 93106.
Richardson
W B
WB
Ettenberg
A
A
D000818:Animals; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D004327:Drinking Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010868:Pimozide / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013894:Thirst / Q000502:physiology*; D014868:Water Deprivation
D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D010868:Pimozide