Selective antagonism by clonidine of the stereotyped and non-stereotyped motor activity elicited by atropine.

The effects of clonidine, an indirectly-acting cholinergic antagonist, on 5 behaviors elicited by atropine (locomotion, rearing, sniffing, grooming and gnawing) were studied in rats. Clonidine did not alter the prevalence or magnitude of atropine-elicited locomotion and rearing. In contrast, clonidine suppressed the occurrence and degree of 3 stereotyped behaviors, namely, sniffing, grooming and gnawing. This selectivity of clonidine suggests differences in the neural pathways subserving the various stereotyped motor activities.