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Old rats are unresponsive to the behavioral effects of adrenocorticotropin
R Poggioli1, A Benelli, R Arletti
1Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Modena, Italy.
European Journal of Pharmacology
|December 27, 1994
Abstract:
In 28 month-old male rats, the i.c.v. injection of adrenocorticotropin [ACTH-(1-24)] (4 micrograms/rat) did not induce the typical behavioral syndrome (excessive grooming, stretching, yawning, penile erections). This indicates that the behavioral effects of melanocortins are age-dependent, suggesting either an aging-linked impairment of the nervous circuitries involved or a reduction of the number (or affinity, or both) of the brain melanocortin receptors in the elderly.