Abstract
The purpose of this research was to determine if 2 drugs, scopolamine and physostigmine which have opposite effects on cholinergic transmission also produce opposite effects on fixed-interval (FI) performance. Scopolamine and a wide range of doses of physostigmine were administered singly and concurrently to a number of rats responding on a FI 2 min schedule. Scopolamine produced a disruption in FI curvature which could be antagonized by physostigmine, but physostigmine by itself produced no consistent change.
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This research was carried out to fulfill the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The author wishes to acknowledge the assistance of Dr. F. M. Van Fleet. The research was also supported by grant APA 268 of the National Research Council of Canada.
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McKim, W.A. The effects of scopolamine and physostigmine on fixed-interval behaviour in the rat. Psychopharmacologia 39, 237–244 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421031
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421031