Differential Effect of the Dopamine D3 Agonist (±)-7-Hydroxy-2-(N,N-di-n-propylamino) Tetralin (7-OH-DPAT) on Motor Activity between Adult Wistar and Sprague-Dawley Rats after a Neonatal Ventral Hippocampus Lesion

The neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (nVHL) has been widely used as an animal model for schizophrenia. Rats with an nVHL show several delayed behavioral alterations that mimic some symptoms of schizophrenia. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with an nVHL have a decrease in D3 receptors in limbic areas, but the expression of D3 receptors in Wistar (W) rats with an nVHL is unknown. The 7-Hydroxy-2-(N,N-di-n-propylamino) tetralin (7-OH-DPAT) has been reported as a D3-preferring agonist. Thus, we investigated the effect of (±)-7-OH-DPAT (0.25 mg/kg) on the motor activity in male adult W and SD rats after an nVHL. The 7-OH-DPAT caused a decrease in locomotion of W rats with an nVHL, but it did not change the locomotion of SD rats with this lesion. Our results suggest that the differential effect of 7-OH-DPAT between W and SD rats with an nVHL could be caused by a different expression of the D3 receptors. These results may have implications for modeling interactions of genetic and environmental factors involved in schizophrenia.