Diferences between the motor effects induce by apomorphone and by amplhetamine in the male albin rat / Diferencias entre los efectos motores inducidos por la apomorfina y la anfetamina en ratones

ABSTRACT

Although apomorphine and amphetamine act via dopaminergic receptors, their motor effects have some unexplained differences, which have not been sufficiently studied. In this work either drug induced a quite similar pattern of stereotyped behavior which was antagonized by a low dose of haloperidol in both cases. The slight increase in locomotion seen after apomorphine appeared after stereotypies had completely developed and was also blocked by the same dose of haloperidol. In contrast, the amphetamine-induced locomotor stimulation preceded or acompanied the development of stereotypies and it was potentiated by the low dose of haloperidol. We concluded that apomorphine acts mainly at the striatal level to induce both locomotion and stereotyped behavior, whereas amphetamine acts in the striatum to produce stereotypies and in the accumben to increase locomotion.