Changes in the behavioral response to a novel environment following lesioning of the central dopaminergic system in rat pups

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Abstract
During the third week of life, a hyperactive period for the laboratory rat, the occurrence of 8 behavioral categories was recorded in individual littermates transferred to a novel environment. Neonatal destruction of the catecholaminergic system by intraventricular injection of 6-OH-DA resulted in increased motor activity during the third week of life. Selective lesioning of the dopaminergic system by the combined treatment of 6-OH-DA + desmethylimipramine also induced a significant increase in some active behavioral categories. It appeared that in contrast to the gross behavioral sequence, as seen in controls, which compromised locomotion and rearing → grooming → sitting and lying down, the lesioned animals showed a prolonged phase of restless locomotion. These data are interpreted as a disability to habituate adequately to a novel environment after neonatal lesioning of the dopaminergic system.