Hypersensitivity to central serotonin receptor activation in scrapie-infected hamsters and the effect of serotonergic drugs on scrapie symptoms

Low doses of the serotonin agonist, quipazine, and the serotonin precursor, L-5-hydroxytryptophan methyl ester, produce small but significant reductions in scrapie-induced ataxia and action jerks in hamsters.

Abstract

Low doses of the serotonin agonist, quipazine, and the serotonin precursor, L-5-hydroxytryptophan methyl ester, produce small but significant reductions in scrapie-induced ataxia and action jerks in hamsters. Higher doses of both drugs elicit a behavioral syndrome specific for central serotonin receptor activation. Scrapie-infected hamsters show a dramatic hypersensitivity to both drugs compared to control animals. This suggests that scrapie infection in hamsters causes a disturbance in the serotonergic pathway of the brain stem.