Assessment of jaw movements by magnetic sensor in relation to topographies of orofacial behaviour in freely moving rats: Studies with the dopamine D1-like receptor agonists SKF 83822 vs SKF 83959

This study applies new magnetic sensor-electromyographic technology for recording jaw movements in freely moving rats to analyse topographies of orofacial movement that occur in association with individual elements of behaviour under challenge with two dopamine D1-like receptor agonists, SKF 83822 ([R/S]-6-chloro-7, 8-dihydroxy-3-allyl-1-[3-methyl-phenyl]-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine) and SKF 83959([R/S]-3-methyl-6-chloro-7, 8-dihydroxy-1-[3-methyl-phenyl]-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine). Grooming of the snout/face involved primarily dominant-mouth opening jaw movements with small activation of digastric muscles; subsequent grooming of the flank/trunk was characterised by repetitive, uniform jaw movements with small activation of digastric and masseter muscles. In contrast, grooming of the fingers and tail typically involved high-frequency jaw movements with variable vertical jaw movements and/or strong activation of masseter muscles. Vacuous chewing involved two distinct patterns of jaw movements: a dominant-closing pattern, with strong activation of masseter muscles, and a dominant-opening pattern, with slight activation of masseter muscles. SKF 83822 stimulates dopamine D1-like receptors and activates adenylate cyclase but not phosphoinositide hydrolysis, while SKF 83959 stimulates dopamine D1-like receptors and activates phosphoinositide hydrolysis but not adenylate cyclase. These agonists exerted differential effects on jaw movements, as SKF 83959 induced more jaw movements per episode of syntactic grooming than SKF 83822, while SKF 83822 induced more jaw movements during non-syntactic grooming than SKF 83959. Magnetic sensor technology in freely moving animals resolved distinct topographies of orofacial movement and informs on their relationship to other behaviours in the rodent repertoire and to dopamine D1-like receptor function.