Sensitization and conditioned rotation: apomorphine, quinpirole and SKF-38393 compared

Rats lesioned in one substantia nigra were treated on three consecutive days with the nonselective dopamine agonist, apomorphine (0.05 mg kg-1), the selective D2 agonist, quinpirole (0.025, 0.05, or 0.2 mg kg-1) or the selective D1 agonist, SKF-38393 (2.0, 4.0 or 8.0 mg kg-1). Each of these compounds resulted in acute contralateral rotation which increased significantly upon successive administrations. Two weeks after apomorphine treatment rats exhibited rapid contralateral rotation when placed, undrugged, in the drug-associated environment. Similar undrugged rotation was seen ten weeks after the lower doses of SKF-38393. No evidence of undrugged rotation was seen after quinpirole. The results show that sensitization does not necessarily predict development of a placebo effect, and suggest that persistent motor effects of dopamine agonists are associated with D1 receptor stimulation.