In man, non emetic doses of apomorphine elicit a series of behavioural, neurological and psychological changes which are difficult to ascribe to the stimulation of postsynaptic dopamine receptors. Since similar effects are elicited by neuroleptic drugs, the functional changes induced by apomorphine in man might be interpreted as being the result of a decreased dopaminergic activity. The sedatio...

Repeated administration of apomorphine leads to a context-dependent pecking response sens iti zation . Previously sens itized pigeons (Co /llmba /ivia) challenged with saline in the same context show a conditioned response (CR) . The authors studied the effects of intra striatal inj ections of the dopamine (D, ) antagonist SCH-23390 on both the sensiti zed response and the C R. When coadministc...

Domperidone is a specific dopamine antagonist that does not exert central anti dopaminergic activity in vivo, probably because it does not readily cross the blood brain barrier (Costall et al., 1979; Laduron and Leysen, 1979). In this study, domperidone has been compared with haloperidol in three different experimental situations where dopamine and/ or apomorphine are known to act: in vivo dopa...

Although the role of nucleus accumbens (NAcc) dopamine (DA) in reward learning has been extensively studied, few investigations have addressed its involvement in learning socially relevant information. Here, we have examined the involvement of NAcc DA in social attachment of the "monogamous" prairie vole (Microtus orchrogaster). We first demonstrated that DA is necessary for the formation of so...

Background Albizia zygia is used in Ghanaian traditional medicine for the management of mental disorders. The present study tested the hypothesis that an extract of the leaves of Albizia zygia (AZE) may possess antipsychotic and antidepressant properties. Method The novelty- and apomorphine-induced locomotor and rearing behaviours of AZE in mice were explored in an open-field observational te...

Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder caused by an interplay between genetic and environmental factors, including early postnatal stressors. To explore this issue, we use two rat lines, apomorphine-susceptible (APO-SUS) rats that display schizophrenia-relevant features and their phenotypic counterpart, apomorphine-unsusceptible (APO-UNSUS) rats. These rat lines differ not only in their gna...

BACKGROUND The hydro-ethanolic whole plant extract of Synedrella nodiflora (SNE) has demonstrated anticonvulsant, sedative and analgesic effects. Preliminary studies conducted in animals, SNE significantly decreased stereotypic behaviours suggesting antipsychotic potential. Coupled with the central nervous system depressant effects of SNE, we hypothesized that it may have utility in the managem...

The new-born mammal has both nutritive and non-nutritive sucking requirements (Levy, 1934). When non-nutritive sucking is prevented, abnormal oral behaviour which can resemble the effect of apomorphine may be induced. The two types of sucking behaviour can be distinguished using equipment described by Stephens (1975). This consists of a wooden box lined with rubber sheeting. A rubber teat is in...

1. We have measured regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and motor function before and after the subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of apomorphine in parkinsonian patients deprived of their usual treatment for at least 48 h. 2. Nineteen patients, pretreated with domperidone (20 mg three times daily for 48 h), received a mean dose of 5.8 mg s.c. apomorphine. All patients switched 'on'. The mean motor ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of leucine and genistein on the dopaminergic system in a rat model of schizophrenia. METHODS Behavioral effects of leucine and genistein on apomorphine induced stereotyped behavior, haloperidol induced catalepsy, foot shock induced aggression, and apomorphine induced locomotor activity were conducted. In each of these tests, the leucine (0.7g/kg p.o.) and geni...