Role of Cholinergic Systems in Pain Modulation: I. Impact of Scopolamine on Environmentally Induced Hypoalgesia and Pain Reactivity Academic Article

abstract

• Scopolamine was found to block both brief shock-induced (3 0.75-s, 1.0-mA shocks) and conditioned hypoalgesia on the tail-flick test in rats. The drug also produced a general increase in pain reactivity as measured by both the tail-flick test and shock-induced vocalization. It was shown that this hyperalgesia cannot account for the effect of the drug on brief-shock or conditioned hypoalgesia. Scopolamine did not block the nonopioid analgesia observed after long shock (3 25-s, 1.0-mA shocks). When the effect of the drug on baseline levels of pain reactivity was controlled, it potentiated long shock-induced hypoalgesia. Scopolamine also increased reactivity to tactile stimulation, which suggests the hyperalgesia reflects a general increase in arousal. None of these effects were observed with methylscopolamine, which suggests they are not peripherally mediated.

authors

• Grau, James
• Meagher, Mary

published proceedings

• Behavioral Neuroscience

author list (cited authors)

• Grau, J. W., Illich, P. A., Chen, P., & Meagher, M. W.

citation count

• 17

complete list of authors

• Grau, James W||Illich, Paul A||Chen, Ping-Sun||Meagher, Mary W

publication date

• January 1991

publisher

• American Psychological Association (APA)  Publisher

published in

• BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE  Journal

keywords

• Animals
• Arousal
• Chronic Pain
• Electroshock
• Habituation, Psychophysiologic
• Male
• Mental Recall
• N-methylscopolamine
• Neurosciences
• Nociceptors
• Pain Research
• Parasympatholytics
• Rats
• Rats, Inbred Strains
• Reaction Time
• Receptors, Cholinergic
• Scopolamine
• Scopolamine Derivatives
• Sensory Thresholds
• Social Environment
• Vocalization, Animal

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1037/0735-7044.105.1.62

start page

• 62

end page

• 81

volume

• 105

issue

• 1

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0735-7044.105.1.62