Effects of interruption of pallidal function on striatal-mediated motor activity: relevance to concepts in neurology and psychiatry

This work was conducted to evaluate the effects of bilateral lesion of the globus pallidus on spontaneous motor behaviour and drug-induced stereotypy. The evidence suggests that the pallidus is necessary for the expression of normal motor behaviour. Bilateral lesioned rats manifested hypoactivity. This hypoactivity or response depression was counteracted by low and high doses of amphetamine. Apomorphime (1.0 mg/kg) induced a normalizing effect on spontaneous motor activity in lesioned rats. However this higher dose of apomorphine induced marked stereotypic activity in lesioned rats. The results of this work raise important implications for certain motor disorders and the psychoses. (AU)