Development of Biphasic Dose-respose to Clonidine, Alpha-Adrenergic Agonist in CNS.
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Authors
Dykhouse, Patricia
Issue Date
1976
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Clonidine, alpha-adrenergic agonist in the central nervous
system, was injected into Sprague-Dawley rats in order to attain
a quantitative dose-dependent resp,onse as reflected by changes in
activity. Injections were administered intra-peritoneally, doses
ranging from 0.05 mg/kg to 5.0 mg/kg. Resulting activity was then
mechanically m6nitored in electronic motility meters for a period
of one hour. It was found that doses less than 0.25 mg/kg produced
an inhibitory effect upon activity counts, while doses higher
were progressively stimulatory in a clear-cut biphasic dose
response. Other peripheral effects of alpha-adrenergic arousal
followed the S8_me pattern of response. This evidence provides
not only insight into the specific mechanism of clonidine, but
provides support for the presently developing theory of neurotransmission
involving the interaction of pre- and post-synaptic receptors.
It is theorized that at low doses the agonist stimulates
presynaptic autoreceptors and their resulting impulse inhibition,
while at higher doses the drug proves to be stimulatory. Evidence
such as this will be useful in future treatment and understanding
of behavioral disorders such as manic-depression and schizophrenia.
Description
35 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo College
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.