Effects of N-allylnormetazocine (skf 10,047), phencyclidine, and other psychomotor stimulants in the rat following 6-hydroxydopamine lesion of the ventral tegmental area

The depletion of mesolimbic dopamine by 6-hydroxydopamine injections into the a₁₀ region of the ventral tegmental area effectively blocked locomotor hyperactivity induced by SKF 10,047, phencyclidine and amphetamine, whereas the stimulatory effects of caffeine and scopolamine were not altered by the lesion. These results suggest that SKF 10,047, like amphetamine, and phencyclidine acts through presynaptic dopaminergic mechanisms in the mesolimbic nucleus accumbens system to stimulate locomotor behavior.