Quinpirole attenuates the striatal fos expression induced by escape behavior.
Several studies have shown that the D2-like dopamine receptor agonist quinpirole is able to markedly potentiate the striatal Fos expression induced by D1 agonists. The present study examined the effects of quinpirole on the striatal Fos-like immunoreactivity (FLI) induced by escape behavior. Male rats were pretreated with either saline or quinpirole (0.156, 0.625, 1.25 or 2.5 mg/kg) and 30 min later, placed in a shuttle box and required to crossover every 30 s in order to escape mild footshock. Animals were sacrificed 30 min following the completion of a 1-h block of escape trials and sections through the striatum were processed for FLI. Pretreatment with quinpirole produced a marked, dose-dependent, attenuation of escape-induced FLI in the striatum. These findings demonstrate that quinpirole affects the striatal Fos expression induced by shuttling in a very different fashion than it does that induced by D1 agonists, and further support the view that dopaminergic mechanisms play an important role in behaviorally induced striatal Fos expression.
Struthers
W M
WM
Department of Psychology (M/C 285), The University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Wirtshafter
D
D
D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D004597:Electroshock; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019257:Quinpirole / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000819:agonists / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D019257:Quinpirole