title: Synergistic effects of dopamine D2-like receptor antagonist sulpiride and β-blocker propranolol on learning in the carousel maze, a dry-land spatial navigation task.
abstract: Spatial navigation attracts the attention of neuroscientists as an animal analogue of human declarative memory. The Carousel maze is a dry-land navigational paradigm, which proved to be useful in studying neurobiological substrates of learning. The task involves avoidance of a stable sector on a rotating arena and is highly dependent upon the hippocampus. The present study aims at testing hypothesis that sulpiride (a centrally-active dopamine D2-like receptor antagonist) and propranolol (a beta-blocker) impair spatial learning in the Carousel maze after combined systemic administration. These doses were previously shown to be subthreshold in this task. Results showed that both substances affected behavior and significantly potentiated their negative effects on spatial learning. This suggests central interaction of both types of receptors in influencing acquisition of this dynamic-environment task.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Iva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Prokopova
authors.forename: Stepan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bahnik
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Doulames
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vales
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Petrasek
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Svoboda
authors.forename: Ales
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stuchlik
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D065127:Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; D004357:Drug Synergism; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D011433:Propranolol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000502:physiology; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013469:Sulpiride / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D065127:Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D013469:Sulpiride; D011433:Propranolol