title: Differential effects of 7-OH-DPAT on the development of behavioral sensitization to apomorphine and cocaine.
abstract: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether concurrent treatments with a low dose of the dopamine D(3)-preferring receptor agonist 7-OH-DPAT would attenuate the development of behavioral sensitization to the indirect dopamine receptor agonist, cocaine, or the direct dopamine receptor agonist, apomorphine. In two experiments, male Wistar rats (250-350 g) were given seven daily injections of 7-OH-DPAT (0.05 mg/kg sc) or vehicle in combination with either cocaine (15 mg/kg ip), apomorphine (1.0 mg/kg sc), or vehicle. After the injections, the rats were tested for activity in photocell arenas for 40 min, and three measures of motor behavior (distance traveled, rearing, and stereotypy) were recorded at 10-min intervals. A total of 24 h after the last preexposure session, all rats were given a challenge injection of either cocaine (10.0 mg/kg ip, Experiment 1) or apomorphine (1.0 mg/kg sc, Experiment 2) and tested for activity. Major findings were as follows: (a) 7-OH-DPAT treatments alone suppressed all measures of locomotor activity and did not affect subsequent behavioral sensitivity to either cocaine or apomorphine; (b) cocaine treatments acutely increased all measures of activity, and repeated treatments produced behavioral sensitization to the horizontal locomotor-activating effects of cocaine; (c) apomorphine treatments alone increased horizontal activity and stereotypy but completely abolished rearing behavior; (d) like cocaine, repeated treatments with apomorphine induced behavioral sensitization; (e) concurrent treatments of 7-OH-DPAT with cocaine acutely attenuated cocaine-induced increases in motor behavior but enhanced the development of behavioral sensitization to cocaine; and (f) concurrent 7-OH-DPAT treatments did not significantly affect either the acute or chronic effects of apomorphine. It is evident from these results that concurrent treatment with 7-OH-DPAT does not block the development of behavioral sensitization to either cocaine or apomorphine. Moreover, the differential acute and chronic effects of 7-OH-DPAT on cocaine- and apomorphine-induced hyperactivity appear to be mediated by dopamine autoreceptor stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Morehead State University, 601 Ginger Hall, Morehead, KY 40351-1689, USA.
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Mattingly
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caudill
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005110:Extracellular Space; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000819:agonists*; D050637:Receptors, Dopamine D3; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D013764:Tetrahydronaphthalenes / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; C493595:Drd3 protein, rat; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D050637:Receptors, Dopamine D3; D013764:Tetrahydronaphthalenes; D003042:Cocaine; D001058:Apomorphine; C031349:7-hydroxy-2-N,N-dipropylaminotetralin