Summary
The present study demonstrates that the muscarinic antagonist atropine and the α-adrenergic agonist clonidine, though ineffective when administered separately, produced a pronounced locomotor stimulation in monoamine-depleted mice when combined. The atropine + clonidine-induced locomotor stimulation was counteracted by both the α2-adrenoceptor antagonist idazoxan and the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine. Thus, it is clear that simultaneous manipulations with cholinergic and adrenergic systems are as effective in restoring locomotion in monoamine-depleted mice as increasing central dopaminergic tone. This finding may have implications for the treatment of a movement disorder like Parkinson's disease.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Anden N-E, Johnels B (1977) Effect of local application of apomorphine to the corpus striatum and to the nucleus accumbens on the reserpine-induced rigidity in rats. Brain Res 133: 386–389
Anden N-E, Strömbom U, Svensson TH (1973) Dopamine and noradrenaline receptor stimulation: reversal of reserpine-induced suppression of motor activity. Psychopharmacologia 29: 289–298
Carlsson A (1986) Monoamines and psychiatry. In: Rosenberg R, Schulsinger F, Strömgren E (eds) Psychiatry and its related disciplines—the next 25 years. WPA, Copenhagen, pp 37–51
Carlsson M, Carlsson A (1989a) The NMDA antagonist MK-801 causes marked locomotor stimulation in monoamine-depleted mice. J Neural Transm 75: 221–226
Carlsson M, Carlsson A (1989b) Dramatic synergism between MK-801 and clonidine with respect to locomotor stimulatory effect in monoamine-depleted mice. J Neural Transm 77: 65–71
Galambos E, Pfeifer AK, Gyorgy L, Molnar J (1967) Study on the excitation induced by amphetamine, cocaine and α-methyltryptamine. Psychopharmacologia 11: 122–129
Pijnenburg AJJ, van Rossum JM (1973) Stimulation of locomotor activity following injection of dopamine into the nucleus accumbens. J Pharm Pharmacol 25: 1003–1005
Raffa RB, Ortegon ME, Robisch DM, Martin GE (1989) In vivo demonstration of the enhancement of MK-801 by L-glutamate. Life Sci 44: 1593–1599
Wikberg JES (1989) High affinity binding of idazoxan to a non-catecholaminergic binding site in the central nervous system: Description of a putative idazoxan-receptor. Pharmacol Toxicol 64: 152–155
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Carlsson, M., Carlsson, A. Marked locomotor stimulation in monoamine-depleted mice following treatment with atropine in combination with clonidine. J Neural Transm Gen Sect 1, 317–322 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02263486
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02263486