ABSTRACT-Caerulein (CLN, 0.8-80,ug/kg, s.c.) was administered to male rats 10 min or 24 hr be fore the injection of SKF 38393 (3 mg/kg, i.p.). The increased mouth movement and grooming be havior by SKF 38393 were suppressed dose-dependently by CLN 10 min before the SKF 38393. CLN at the dose of 0.8 ,ug/kg, given 24 hr before the SKF 38393, suppressed the grooming behavior by SKF 38393. These findings suggest that a low dose of CLN, but not a high dose, had a delayed suppressive effect on the grooming behavior induced by an excess of D,-activity.Keywords: Caerulein, SKF 38393, Grooming behaviorLong-term administration of a neuroleptic to schizo phrenic patients can often result in involuntary dys kinetic disorders such as tardive dyskinesia, which is thought to be mediated by an increased dopaminergic activity in the striatum. Chronic treatment of rats with neuroleptics cause an increase in mouth movements. The increased mouth movements are used as an animal model of tardive dyskinesia (1, 2). The increase in mouth movements is also induced by a single adminis tration of the selective dopamine Di-agonist SKF 38393 (3, 4). The increased mouth movements of the rat in duced by the long-term administration of neuroleptics and that induced by the administration of the selective D,-agonist SKF 38393 resemble each other in the aspect that both are characterized by a relative excess of D, activity (3, 4). Cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) suppresses both SKF 38393-induced behavior and chron ic neuroleptic-induced involuntary dyskinetic disorders (2, 5). This suggests that CCK-8 may be of use against involuntary dyskinetic disorders. These studies were carried out with an emphasis on analyzing the immedi ate effect of CCK-8. Caerulein (CLN), an analogue of CCK-8, has a long lasting effect on the monoamine level in rat brain re gions (6). Behavioral studies showed the long-lasting effect of CLN (7,8). For example, Ogawa et al. (8) re ported long-lasting effect of CLN on permanent motor behavioral abnormalities induced by the neurotoxin iminodipropionitrile. Moreover, CLN produced biphasic and long-lasting improvement in a schizophrenic patient with bucco-lingual dyskinesia (9). These reports suggest that CLN has a continuous or delayed suppressive effect on involuntary movements. In this study, we de termined if CLN has a delayed suppressive effect on the mouth movements and grooming behavior induced by SKF 38393.Eighty male Sprague-Dawley rats (Nihon SLC, Shizu oka, Japan), initially weighing 250-300g, were housed three per cage on a 12-hr light -12-hr dark cycle and allowed standard food pellets and water ad libitum for one week before the experiment.To test the immediate effect of CLN, five rats were placed individually in transparent boxes (18 X 26 X 28 cm) and left there for one hour to acclimate them. Then CLN (ceruletide diethylamine, synthesized at the Shionogi Research Pharmaceuticals Laboratories) was subcutaneously administered in doses of 0.8, 8 and 80 ,ug/kg to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd rat, respectively, and sa...