PHARMACOLOGICAL STUDIES OF CENTRIFUGATION-INDUCED ANALGESIA

Subjecting rats to a brief period of centrifugal rotation produces a b rief analgesia (1-2 min) that is similar to that produced by pretreatm ent with morphine. The effect of the morphine is blocked by naloxone, while that of the centrifugal rotation is only partially blocked by th e same dose of naloxone. Cholinergic blocking agents such as scopolami ne are also capable of partially blocking the rotational-induced analg esia. The combination of pretreatment with scopolamine plus naloxone i s capable of completely blocking the rotational-induced analgesia, sug gesting the involvement of both central cholinergic and endogenous opi oid components.