Behavioral thermoregulation, core temperature, and motor activity: Simultaneous quantitative assessment in rats after dopamine and prostaglandin E1

• Published in: Behavioral neuroscience 1984-10, Vol.98 (5), p.858-867
• Main Authors: Marques, Paul R, Spencer, Robert L, Burks, Thomas F, McDougal, James N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activity Level; Alprostadil; Animal; Animals; Autonomic Nervous System - drug effects; Biological and medical sciences; Body Temperature; Body Temperature Regulation - drug effects; Choice Behavior - drug effects; Dopamine; Dopamine - pharmacology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Injections, Intraventricular; Male; Motor Activity - drug effects; Prostaglandins; Prostaglandins E - pharmacology; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Temperature; Thermoregulation (Body); Thermoregulation. Hibernation. Estivation. Ecophysiology and environmental effects; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
• ISSN: 0735-7044; 1939-0084
• DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.98.5.858

Determined the dose-response autonomic and behavioral thermoregulatory effects and the motor effects of dopamine (DA) and prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) injected into the lateral cerebral ventricles of male Sprague-Dawley rats. The present study was conducted with a computer-controlled thermocline that permitted freely moving Ss to select preferred ambient temperatures (7-39°C). All Ss were studied with the thermocline gradient both on and off to control for nonspecific effects. Results show that PGE1 (0, .1, .2, .5, 1.0 |mg) produced a dose-related increase in core temperature and produced a dose-related selection of warmer ambient temperatures. DA (0, 50, 100, 200, 400 |mg) produced a dose-related hypothermia and cold-seeking behavior. Without the gradient, DA-injected Ss did not become as hypothermic as in the gradient-on condition. When the gradient was available, Ss showed a significant rebound increase in core temperature 50-80 min after DA, which did not occur when the gradient was off. Overall, DA induced increases in motor activity, but, during the 1st 10 min after injection while the gradient was on, Ss made stable selections of cool ambient temperatures and showed reduced activity. Conversely, the behavioral effect of PGE1 did not facilitate the autonomically mediated heat gain. Findings emphasize the necessity of creating behavioral options for animals to fully evaluate drug effects on thermoregulation. (19 ref)