Effect of chronically administered amitriptyline on reproduction of food motor reflexes in cats
Medek, A.; Navrátil, J.; Hrbek, J.; Macáková, J.; Komenda, S.
Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis Facultatis Medicae 80: 231-236
1976
ISSN/ISBN: 0301-2514 PMID: 1053401 Document Number: 101823
The effect of amitriptyline, a thymoleptic with antidepressive action, applied in 4 mg/kg s.c. doses upon the recall of fixed conditioned alimentary motor reflexes in cats was studied. The drug was administered for 8 wk. The evaluation included experiments with animals naive to amitriptyline and those in the 4th and 8th wk of chronic application. Neither the recall of the fixed motor reactions nor their latencies were influenced with the exception of the 1st experiment with amitriptyline yielding insignificant prolongation of latencies. All the experiments in the 1st, 4th and 8th wk showed a high significant rise in the number of incorrect motor reactions (P < 0.05), which is the reason for the total negative evaluation of the effect of amitriptyline upon the recall of alimentary motor reflexes. The anticholinergic action of amitriptyline is stressed. The undesirable rise in incorrect motor reactions following the application of amitriptyline is explained by possible deliberation of the adrenergic excitatory system during the impairment of the cholinergic system due to the cholinolytic influence of amitriptyline.