Barrel rotation induced by vasopressin and involvement of dopaminergic and cholinergic functions in rats

Intraventricular administration of 1,6-aminosuberyl-arginine8-vasopressin or somatostatin in rats barrel rotation, a peculiar rotation along the sagittal body axis. The vasopressin-induced barrel rotation was markedly enhanced by fluphenazine, haloperidol, 6-hydroxydopamine or alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine but was unaffected by (D-Ala2, MePhe4, Met(O)5-ol)-enkephalin. The enhancement of the rotation behavior of fluphenazine was prevented by pretreatment with trihexy-phenidyl a muscarinic receptor blocker. These observations clearly show that vasopressin can elicit barrel rotation and that dopaminergic inhibition and cholinergic activation are concomitantly involved.