The effect of linear somatostatin on the active avoidance behaviour and open-field activity on haloperidol, phenoxybenzamine and atropine pretreated rats.

Somatostatin administered intracerebroventricularly inhibited the extinction of active avoidance behaviour. The dopamine receptor blocking agent haloperidol, the alpha 1-receptor blocker phenoxybenzamine and the muscarinic anticholinergic agent atropine inhibited the behavioural effect of the peptide. Furthermore, somatostatin increased the locomotor activity of the animals. Neither of these drugs influenced the effect of the peptide exerted on locomotor activity. The peptide was ineffective on other parameters of the open-field test while phenoxybenzamine decreased the defecation rate of the animals and this effect was not influenced by somatostatin. The results suggest that the catecholaminergic and the cholinergic system play an important role in the inhibition of extinction produced by somatostatin but these mechanisms to not have a role in the locomotor activity induced by the peptide.