J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 1989; 1:167-172
Copyright © 1989 by American Neuropsychiatric Association
Effect of intraventricular nadolol infusion on shock-induced aggression in 6-hydroxydopamine-treated rats
ML Leavitt, SC Yudofsky, JC Maroon, EJ Riley and MB Bavitz
Department of Neuroscience Research, Allegheny-Singer Research Institute, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212.
Increasingly, beta blockers are being utilized to treat patients with
aggressive disorders secondary to brain lesions. To secure further data
about the potential efficacy of beta blockers for this condition, a rat
model was employed in which aggression was enhanced by 6- hydroxydopamine.
Following lesioning of the brain, aggression in the rats increased from an
average baseline of 10.9 +/- 2.1 to 42.7 +/- 2.0 fights per testing period.
Thereafter, either pharmacologically inert, artificial CSF or nadolol was
introduced through transcerebral, intraventricular perfusion with a
significant reduction in aggression in the nadolol-treated animals when
compared with those receiving artificial CSF.
