Proglumide: selective antagonism of excitatory effects of cholecystokinin in central nervous system

Extracellular single-unit recording techniques were used to test the ability of proglumide to block cholecystokinin-induced excitation of rat midbrain dopaminergic neurons and dopamine-sensitive prefrontal cortex cells. Intravenous and iontophoretic proglumide administration consistently blocked cholecystokinin-induced excitations while having no effect on glutamic acid-induced increases in activity. This selective blockade of central cholecystokinin effects by proglumide suggests that this drug may be valuable for studying the possible role of cholecystokinin as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator in the central nervous system.