Evidence for dopamine mediation of submissive gestures in the stumptail macaque monkey.
Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior January 1, 1981 R F Schlemmer, J M Davis 31 citations
Dopamine systems help regulate submissive behavior in Stumptail macaques. Chronic administration of d-amphetamine (3.2 mg/kg/day for 12 days) significantly increased submissive gestures in some treated monkeys, even without a concurrent increase in aggression from others. This effect was blocked by haloperidol and pimozide, drugs that block dopamine receptors. The dopamine agonist apomorphine caused a large, dose-dependent increase in submissive gestures; repeated apomorphine (1.0 mg/kg/day for 12 days) produced a similar increase to amphetamine in monkeys previously treated with amphetamine. The hallucinogen 5-methoxy N,N-dimethyltryptamine also increased submissive gestures via dopamine systems, as dopamine blockers antagonized this response while serotonin antagonists did not. These findings may relate to drug-induced and endogenous psychopathologies in humans.