A PHARMACOLOGICAL DISCRIMINATION OF 2 BEHAVIORAL FORMS OF THE PARADISE FISH (MACROPODUS-OPERCULARIS)

Intracranial injections of 5 mu g/fish (equivalent to 2 nmol/g) of the dopamine agonist Apomorphine into the paradise fish brain considerabl y decrease the occurrence of escape behavior with a parallel increase of time spent in swimming. All. other elements of the behavioral reper toire are unaffected. The simultaneous administration of 0.5 mu g/fish (equivalent to 0.15 nmol/g) of the dopamine antagonist Pimozide aboli shes this effect, In a second experiment a dose dependent decrease in escape behavior was obtained with a parallel increase of swimming. On the bases of these pharmacological data it is concluded that the escap e acid the swimming reactions are truly independent units but their re gulation might be closely related.