Effect of tetrabenazine and alpha-methyl-m-tyrosine on exploratory activity and brain catecholamines in rats

1. Spontaneous exploratory locomotor activity of Wistar rats was measured in photocell activity cages, and brain noradrenaline (NA) and dopamine (DA) were determined fluorometrically after ion exchange purification.2. Tetrabenazine (TBZ) (10 mg/kg) produced a fall in NA and DA concentrations in rat brain stems which was correlated with the fall in activity in female Wistar rats.3. alpha-Methyl-m-tyrosine (alphaMMT) reduced the concentration of rat brain NA without affecting DA concentration or activity.4. Pretreatment with alphaMMT did not stop TBZ from producing a marked reduction in activity and NA concentration, but partially protected DA from the depleting action of TBZ.5. These results support a role for catecholamines in the control of motor activity, but they do not implicate NA more than DA and they emphasize that the mechanism by which drugs affect the concentrations of catecholamines may be more important than the gross concentrations attained.