Drinking in the rat occurs in bursts of rapid licking, a high frequency rhythmic behavior controlled by a neural clock located in the brain stem. We found that 3.0 mg/kg amphetamine increased the speed of licking and shifted to the left the frequency distribution of inter-lick intervals. Repeated amphetamine treatments result in long-lasting sensitization to this effect. Thus, it appears possible to produce enduring changes in the activity of a biological interval clock (or 'stopwatch') by manipulating catecholaminergic transmission. These findings may be important for an understanding of the neural basis of normal and pathological timing behavior. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Long-lasting sensitization to the accelerating effects of amphetamine on the speed of an internal clock / Badiani, Aldo; Jane, Stewart. - In: BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH. - ISSN 0166-4328. - STAMPA. - 100:1-2(1999), pp. 217-223. [10.1016/s0166-4328(98)00133-8]
Long-lasting sensitization to the accelerating effects of amphetamine on the speed of an internal clock
BADIANI, Aldo;
1999
Abstract
Drinking in the rat occurs in bursts of rapid licking, a high frequency rhythmic behavior controlled by a neural clock located in the brain stem. We found that 3.0 mg/kg amphetamine increased the speed of licking and shifted to the left the frequency distribution of inter-lick intervals. Repeated amphetamine treatments result in long-lasting sensitization to this effect. Thus, it appears possible to produce enduring changes in the activity of a biological interval clock (or 'stopwatch') by manipulating catecholaminergic transmission. These findings may be important for an understanding of the neural basis of normal and pathological timing behavior. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
