Altered hindlimb extension in the rat after DSP-4: a useful marker of central noradrenergic depletion.

Rats treated with DSP-4, a selective noradrenergic neurotoxin, usually exhibited an attenuation of hindlimb extension when suspended by the tail. Those animals showing the reduced extension had no post-decapitation reflex (PDR), whereas those animals having a normal extension had the PDR. On this basis, rats injected with DSP-4 can be readily screened for an effective or ineffective noradrenergic lesion. Preliminary evidence suggests that the alpha 2-adrenoceptor is involved in the regulation of hindlimb extension.