[The possible mechanisms of the participation of the central cholinoreactive systems in regulating spontaneous motor activity in the early ontogeny of rats].

In experiments on 0-16-day rat puppies, studies have been made of the effects of activation of N-cholinoreceptors during injections of nicotine, inactivation of N-cholinoreceptors by ganglerone, as well as combination of ganglerone and DOPA on the spontaneous periodic motor activity. It was shown that activation of N-cholinoreceptors results in the reactions which were earlier described for newborn rats during injection of exogenous catecholamines, i.e. the increase in motor activity and the onset of rhythmic components in the latter. Experiments with spinalization and DOPA injection showed that the potentiating effect of nicotine is realized via the descending catecholaminergic systems. Therefore, central N-cholinoreactive systems are mature already in newborn animals exhibiting from the very first day of postnatal life modulatory effects on catecholaminergic neurones in the brain stem.