Effects of cabergoline and rotigotine on tacrine-induced tremulous jaw movements in rats

•Either cabergoline or rotigotine reduced the number of tacrine-induced TJMs.•c-Fos expression was elevated by tacrine in the striatum and nucleus accumbens.•Either cabergoline or rotigotine suppressed this elevated expression.

ObjectivesWe examined the effects of two dopamine agonists, cabergoline and rotigotine, on tacrine-induced tremor and c-Fos expression in rats.MethodsRats received intraperitoneal injection of cabergoline (0.5, 1.0, or 5.0 mg/kg), rotigotine (1.0, 2.5, or 10.0 mg/kg), or vehicle 30 min before intraperitoneal injection of tacrine (5.0 mg/kg). The number of tremulous jaw movements (TJMs) after tacrine administration was counted for 5 min. Animals were sacrificed 2 h later under deep anesthesia, and the brain sections were immunostained in order to evaluate the c-Fos expression.ResultsInduction of TJMs by tacrine was dose-dependently reduced by pretreatment with cabergoline and rotigotine. The number of c-Fos-positive cells was significantly enhanced in the medial striatum, nucleus accumbens core, and nucleus accumbens shell after tacrine administration, and the enhanced expression of c-Fos in these three regions was significantly attenuated by cabergoline, while rotigotine suppressed c-Fos expression in two regions except the nucleus accumbens core.ConclusionsThese results suggest that tacrine-induced TJMs would be relieved by either cabergoline or rotigotine and that anticholinesterase-induced TJMs and the ameliorating effects of dopamine agonists would relate to neuronal activation in the striatum and nucleus accumbens.