Discriminative stimulus properties of lisuride revisited: involvement of dopamine D2 receptors

Although the discriminative stimulus effects of the clinically useful ergot derivative lisuride have previously been related to dopamine (DA) neuronal systems, the involvement of DA D1 and D2 receptor subtypes in the lisuride cue has been characterized for the first time in the present experiment. In rats trained to discriminate lisuride (0.04 mg/kg) from saline, appropriate doses of the putative D2 agonist LY 171555 (0.008-0.063 mg/kg) substituted completely whereas the D1 agonist SKF 38393 (2.0-16.0 mg/kg) evoked primarily saline-lever responding. When given in combination with lisuride (0.04 mg/kg), the D2 antagonist (-)-sulpiride (5-30 mg/kg), but not the D1 antagonist SCH 23390 (0.125-0.5 mg/kg), blocked the lisuride cue. Combination tests also suggested that bromuride and pirenperone have DA antagonist properties. Although the specificity of these agents is not fully known, these results support the conclusion that D2 but not D1 receptors play an important role in the stimulus effects of lisuride. Although a role for serotonin in the similar stimulus properties of lisuride and SCH 23390 cannot be ruled out, partial substitution of SCH 23390 (0.0625-0.35 mg/kg; administered alone) for lisuride complements previous observations which suggest that the two DA subtypes may be functionally linked in vivo.