Apomorphine response plasticity in lesioned rats: Supersensitivity dependency and lack of drug- or non-drug-associated environmental cuing

Abstract

Low doses of apomorphine can induce biphasic, contralateral circling behaviour in rats having unilateral, 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the substantia nigra. The present studies examined the extent to which this is linked to the supersensitive state, the possible contribution of apomorphine's actions in the intact striatum, and the extent to which response differentiation might be linked to drug-or non-drug-associated environmental cuing. In the first instance, weekly administration of 0.4 mg/kg SC apomorphine to “normosensitive” rats having electrolytic ablation of one caudate failed to result in biphasic circling, whereas clear biphasic responses developed in supersensitive, 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned animals receiving 0.05 mg/kg SC apomorphine at weekly intervals. In the second instance, 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned animals exhibiting biphasic responses after three exposures to apomorphine continued to do so after additional electrolytic ablation of the contralateral caudate, indicating a primary role for apomorphine's interaction within the denervated striatum. In studying the possible role of drug- or non-drug-associated environmental cuing effects it was found that repeated exposure of 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats to 0.05 mg/kg SC apomorphine at 2-h intervals failed to elicit biphasic responses, although these were evident when the same animals were tested 1 and 2 weeks later. However, studies combining weekly exposure to the test cages with saline or apomorphine administration failed to reveal a role of drug- or non-drug-associated environmental cuing in response differentiation. The latter findings are supported by those from supplementary studies employing opaque contact lenses, in which lesioned animals continued to respond biphasically to apomorphine when deprived of visual input.

Taken together, the findings show biphasic responsiveness to apomorphine to be entirely a reflection of the drug's interaction with supersensitive dopamine systems.