Amphetamine and task-specific practice augment recovery of vibrissae-evoked forelimb placing after unilateral sensorimotor cortical injury in the rat.
This study investigated the relative contribution of amphetamine administration and task-specific practice during the period of drug action to recovery of forelimb-placing ability after unilateral electrolytic lesions of the sensorimotor cortex (SMC) in rats. Subjects were divided into groups receiving amphetamine plus postinjection forelimb-placing practice, amphetamine only, saline plus postinjection forelimb-placing practice, or saline only. The results revealed that groups of subjects receiving either amphetamine, postinjection practice, or a combination of these treatments exhibited the greatest enhancement of rates of vibrissae-evoked forelimb-placing recovery. These data suggest that these treatments can have an enduring beneficial effect on vibrissae-evoked forelimb-placing recovery without any immediate restorative effect on forelimb-placing ability. The recovery patterns and experimental evidence (see Feeney and Sutton, 1988; Chaouloff, 1989) suggest that the beneficial effect of the two therapies may be mediated by catecholamine release.
Schmanke
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Mental Retardation Research Center, University of California at Los Angeles, 90024, USA.
Barth
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D000661:Amphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005552:Forelimb / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis
D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D000661:Amphetamine