The involvement of the catecholaminergic system in physostigmine-induced hyperactivity in rats

Physostigmine-induced hyperactivity in rats was attenuated by reserpine 5 mg/kg) and haloperidol (0.025 mg/kg). Pretreatment with (bis-4-methyl-1-homopiperizinyl-his-carbonyl) disulphide (FLA-63) (2.5 mg/kg) resulted in physostigmine producing a biphasic effect on rats' locomotion while pretreatment with p-chloro-phenylalanine (pCPA) (300 mg/kg) did not significantly affect physostigmine-induced hyperactivity. The relevance of the catecholaminergic system in mediating physostigmine-induced hyperactivity is discussed.