RESUMO
Behavioral effects of triethyltin were studied in rats living in Wahmann activity cages. Wheel running activity and food-reinforced lever pressing were recorded 23 hr/day from 4 rats. Triethyltin injections (4 mg/kg IP) produced large transient decreases in running, lever pressing, and daily water consumption, without affecting body weight. These measures recovered to pre-treatment levels within 1-2 days. After 4 weekly injections, wheel running was reduced in 2 rats, and increased in 1 rat, while lever pressing remained at baseline levels. Good correlation was noted between the extent of reductions in wheel running and lever pressing, and the extent of characteristic triethyltin-induced morphological lesions in the central and peripheral nervous system. Over the course of repeated treatments, several critical behaviors known to be sensitive to neurotoxicants can be continually monitored using automated testing apparatus. While further validation with more compounds is required, these results suggest that monitoring wheel running, food-reinforced lever pressing, and water consumption may be an inexpensive way to test for behavioral neurotoxicity using small numbers of animals.
Assuntos
Condicionamento Operante/efeitos dos fármacos , Atividade Motora/efeitos dos fármacos , Compostos de Trialquitina/farmacologia , Compostos de Trietilestanho/farmacologia , Animais , Ingestão de Líquidos/efeitos dos fármacos , Tolerância a Medicamentos , Alimentos , Masculino , Sistema Nervoso/patologia , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso/induzido quimicamente , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso/patologia , Ratos , Ratos EndogâmicosRESUMO
The facilitatory effects of heroin HCl (0.25 mg/kg, SC) on self-stimulation (SS) of the lateral hypothalamus before and after chronic treatment of naltrexone (10 mg/kg, SC, for 20 days) or vehicle were compared. The group that received chronic naltrexone had a larger heroin-induced facilitation of SS than the group that received vehicle. These data suggest that the sensitivity to the facilitatory effect of heroin on SS may be related to the amount of opiate receptor binding which is increased following chronic antagonist treatment. However, neither acute nor chronic treatment with naltrexone produced any significant changes in SS thresholds, suggesting that the directly stimulated substrate for the rewarding effect of brain stimulation is unlikely to be endorphinergic but is apparently modulated by the endogenous opioid system.
