Dissociation of d-amphetamine-induced locomotor activity and stereotype behaviour by lesions of the superior colliculus.

To investigate the role of the nigrotectal pathway in the expression of the behavioral effects of increased dopamine transmission, the behavior of rats with lesions of the superior colliculus was studied in open-field and hole-board after systemic administration of d-amphetamine. The rats with collicular lesions had higher locomotor activity scores than controls after saline injections, and after all doses of amphetamine studied (0.5-24 mg/kg): the difference was particularly marked at the highest doses used (16 and 24 mg/kg). Stereotyped behavior, on the other hand, was less pronounced in the rats with collicular lesions, who unlike controls rarely showed stereotyped sniffing, head waving, or forepaw padding while moving about in either apparatus, and never licked or gnawed in the hole-board. This evidence suggests that the nigrotectal pathway may play a role in the expression of some of the stereotyped behaviors observed after the administration of dopamine agonists, but that it is not necessary for the increased locomotor activity produced by such drugs.