title: Drug-induced circling preference in rats. Correlation with monoamine levels.
abstract: Drugs of abuse, such as phencyclidine (PCP), methamphetamine (METH), and cocaine (COC) are known to affect several behaviors in rats, such as motor activity, stereotypy, and circling. In this study, we evaluated whether these drugs produce circling preferences in the presence or absence of unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced lesions of the caudate nucleus. Adult male CD rats were lesioned with 10 micrograms 6-OHDA/site. Animals were dosed with PCP (15 mg/kg, ip) its congener (+) MK-801 (0.15 mg/kp, ip), METH (2 mg/kg, ip) COC (60 mg/kp, ip), or apomorphine (0.2 mg/kg, ip). Circling preference was recorded in control and lesioned rats for 2 h before animals were sacrificed to determined monoamine levels by HPLC/EC. In control animals, administration of these drugs produced 60-70% left circling. In lesioned animals, these drugs produced 78-90% ipsilateral (toward the lesion) circling, except apomorphine, which produced 60-80% contralateral (away from the lesion) circling. Dopamine (DA) and its metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) concentrations significantly decreased ipsilaterally in lesioned caudate nucleus (CN) and substantia nigra (SN). However, no significant changes were observed in nucleus accumbens (NA) and olfactory tubercles (OT). These data demonstrate that drugs of abuse like PCP, its congener (+) MK-801, METH, and COC produce a greater preference to turn toward the left than the right, a finding similar to that found in human psychosis. Since 6-OHDA lesions enhanced the circling bias and depleted DA and its metabolites DOPAC and HVA, it also suggests that the dopaminergic system may be involved in the circling behavior.
authors.affiliation: Neurochemistry Laboratory, National Center for Toxicological Research/FDA, Jefferson, AR 72079-9502, USA.
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Kordsmeier
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gough
mesh_terms: D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001679:Biogenic Amines / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D016627:Oxidopamine / Q000633:toxicity; D010622:Phencyclidine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011618:Psychotic Disorders; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012016:Reference Values; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001679:Biogenic Amines; D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid; D008694:Methamphetamine; D016627:Oxidopamine; D003042:Cocaine; D010622:Phencyclidine; D001058:Apomorphine; D004298:Dopamine; D006719:Homovanillic Acid