Abstract
The selective NK-3 tachykinin receptor agonist senktide elicited yawning, chewing mouth movements and sexual arousal following subcutaneous administration (0.1–1.0 mg/kg) in the rat. These responses were not significantly affected by the dopamine antagonist haloperidol (0.03 mg/kg) or by 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the nigrostriatal projection. In contrast, the behaviours were markedly attenuated by the peripheral and central muscarinic antagonist scopolamine (1 mg/kg), but not by the peripheral muscarinic antagonist N-methylscopolamine (1 mg/kg). These findings suggest that stimulation of NK-3 receptors produces yawning, chewing and sexual arousal by directly activating central cholinergic neurons.
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Stoessl, A.J., Dourish, C.T. & Iversen, S.D. The NK-3 tachykinin agonist senktide elicits yawning and chewing mouth movements following subcutaneous administration in the rat. Evidence for cholinergic mediation. Psychopharmacology 95, 502–506 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00172963
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00172963