The relation between spiperone binding, behavioural changes, and in vivo tyrosine hydroxylation in the rat striatum.

Spiperone 0.1-10 mg/kg i.p. increased the accumulation of Dopa in the rat striatum after Dopa decarboxylase inhibition. Approximately 50% of the rats treated with doses 1 mg/kg or higher showed cataleptic symptoms. Binding studies performed on the striatal tissues from these rats showed a dose-dependent lowering of the maximal binding of spiperone. The decrease in B max was significant at doses of spiperone 1 mg/kg or higher. Thus at 1 and 10 mg/kg, significant effects on binding, Dopa accumulation, and behaviour were found to coexist.