Studies on the possible role of brain histamine in behaviour

Abstract

Summary1. The possible role of brain histamine in behavioural performance was studied in rats using thirst-induced water consumption, continuous (Sidman) avoidance, and reinforcement withdrawal test systems. 2. Parenteral administration of a variety of antihistamines to rats decreased thirst-induced water consumption; this effect could be antagonized by administration of histamine directly into the brain by a ventricular cannula. 3. When intraventricular doses of histamine were administered to rats at weekly intervals, an adaptation was seen in the effects of the amine on continuous avoidance behaviour. With succeeding doses, the initial period of depression of avoidance responding was shortened and the subsequent rebound stimulation disappeared. 4. The results support the hypothesis that histamine in the brain is involved in several behavioural phenomena.

Postnatal expression of H1‐receptor mRNA in the rat brain: correlation to l‐histidine decarboxylase expression and local upregulation in limbic seizures

“…1988), food intake (Clineschmidt & Lotti 1973; Sakata et al . 1988), drinking behaviour (Gerald & Maickel 1972; Leibowitz 1979), thermoregulation (Brezenoff & Lomax 1970; Kandasamy & Hunt 1987), locomotor activity (Kalivas 1982; Inoue et al . 1996) and motion sickness (Douglas 1985).…”

Effect of Intraventricular Histamine on Hormone Secretion in Dogs

“…Histamine affects thermoregulatory respon ses [16], behavior [13] and the release of several pituitary hormones. These include vasopres sin in cats [3] and rats [9], and prolactin in rats [1,10].…”

Acceleration of rat brain beta-adrenoceptor subsensitivity following the coadministration of histamine receptor antagonists with imipramine

“…Thus it seems that central histamine receptors are involved in the dipsogenic response. Relevant to this is the observation that histamine stimulates drinking in the rat when directly injected into the lateral hypothalamus [24]. It may be argued that the enhancement of imipramine-induced desensitization of/~-adrenoceptors in the presence of antihistamines may have resulted from inhibition of impiramine metabolism.…”