Abstract
The authors have reported in the previous papers that tetrabenazine antagonizes morphine analgesia in mice (1) and that it has depressive effects on some afferent pathways in the central nervous system in rabbits and cats, like those of morphine (2).
The questions arise whether the antagonistic effect by tetrabenazine of the central effects of morphine can be recognized in other species besides mice, whether all of the depressive actions of morphine on the afferent pathways of the central nervous system are suppressed by the tetrabenazine pretreatment, and whether tetrabenazine may owe its antagonistic action against morphine to its ability to deplete the catecholamines and serotonin levels in the brain.
The purpose of this study was to investigate these questions using the electrophysiological techniques.
