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Direct evidence for involvement of dopaminergic inhibition and cholinergic activation in yawning

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Abstract

A behavioral study was performed in an attempt to understand the neurological mechanism involved in yawning in rats. Intraperitoneal injections of low doses (0.25 mg/kg) of apomorphine, which preferentially activate presynaptic dopamine autoreceptors, elicited yawning. Whereas apomorphine, at a high dose of 2 mg/kg, produces stereotypy which has been thought to be mediated by stimulation of postsynaptic dopamine receptors. The yawning and stereotypy did not occur simultaneously in the rat. The apomorphine-induced yawning was completely inhibited by pretreatment with fluphenazine (9 mg/kg, IM) or scopolamine (0.5 mg/kg IP), but markedly increased by reserpine (5 mg/kg, SC), however it was not affected by methylscopolamine (0.5 mg/kg, IP). Both physostigmine (0.2 mg/kg, IP), an indirect acetylcholine agonist, and pilocarpine (4 mg/kg, IP), a direct acetylcholine agonist, also induced yawning. This was abolished by scopolamine (0.5 mg/kg, IP) and increased by reserpine (5 mg/kg, SC). Fluphenazine (9 mg/kg, IP) did not affect the pilocarpine-induced yawning but increased the physostigmine-induced yawning. The results indicate that apomorphine elicits yawning by stimulating presynaptic dopamine receptors, and that dopaminergic inhibition and cholinergic activation are concomitantly involved in the yawning.

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  1. Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 814, Fukuoka, Japan

    Katsushi Yamada & Tatsuo Furukawa

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  1. Katsushi Yamada
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  2. Tatsuo Furukawa
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Yamada, K., Furukawa, T. Direct evidence for involvement of dopaminergic inhibition and cholinergic activation in yawning. Psychopharmacology 67, 39–43 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00427593

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00427593

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