Involvement of caudate nucleus, amygdala or reticular formation in neuroleptic and narcotic catalepsy

Local injection of haloperidol into the caudate nucleus produced catalepsy in contrast to the weak effects of morphine injected at the same site. Injection of either haloperidol or morphine into the amygdala did not have any cataleptogenic effect. Both haloperidol and morphine produced catalepsy when injected into the reticular formation. Naloxone injected into the reticular formation completely reversed the catalepsy following intraperitoneal morphine but not haloperidol. Pretreatment with alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine potentiated the effect of haloperidol injected into either the reticular formation or caudate nucleus. Phentolamine but not lignocaine or metergoline, injected into the reticular formation also caused a cataleptic response. The results confirm the caudate nucleus as a site for haloperidol catalepsy and in addition, suggest the reticular formation as a primary site for morphine catalepsy and a secondary site for haloperidol catalepsy; additionally a noradrenergic modulation of catalepsy may occur within this brainstem region.