Summary
The effects of anticholinergic and dopaminergic drugs used for Parkinson's disease were studied on the tremor induced by physostigmine (0.3–3.0 mg/kg) in rats. For the measurement of tremor a new electronic device was employed. Atropine (0.3–1.2 mg/kg) and biperiden (0.01–1.0 mg/kg) reduced the physostigmine-induced tremor in a dose-related manner and could abolish it. Biperiden was less potent than atropine. Methylatropine in a dose of 1.2 mg/kg slightly inhibited the tremor. Amantadine (0.3–3.0 mg/kg) reduced the tremor but only to a certain degree. Bromocriptine (0.1–10.0 mg/kg) reduced it in a manner that was not dose-related. Pimozide potentiated the tremor in the dose of 0.2 mg/kg but not in larger doses.
At the onset of the tremor, a small decrease in rectal temperature occurred. The hypothermia lasted significantly longer than the tremor. Neither the anticholinergic nor the dopaminergic anti-Parkinson drugs altered the hypothermic effect of physostigmine.
The results show that those anti-Parkinson drugs, which act by increasing the dopaminergic activity can counteract the tremor induced by physostigmine. However, these drugs are clearly less active than the anticholinergic anti-Parkinson drugs.
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Gothóni, P., Lehtinen, M. & Fincke, M. Drugs for Parkinson's disease reduce tremor induced by physostigmine. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 323, 205–210 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00497664
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00497664