AUTONOMIC AND BEHAVIORAL-RESPONSES OF SELECTIVELY BRED HYPERCHOLINERGIC RATS TO OXOTREMORINE AND DIISOPROPYL FLUOROPHOSPHATE

The hypercholinergic Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) rat was significant ly more sensitive than the Flinders Resistant Line (FRL) rat to the bi otelemetrically recorded hypothermic effects of oxotremorine, a direct -acting muscarinic agonist, and diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP), an anticholinesterase agent. The effects of these agents on heart rate an d motor activity, also recorded biotelemetrically, indicate either sma ll differences (DFP) or no significant effect (oxotremorine) between t he lines. These findings confirm the dramatic differences in temperatu re responses to cholinergic compounds between FSL and FRL rats, for wh ich they were selectively bred, but suggest that a general increase in the sensitivity of the FSL rats to all muscarinic-mediated responses may not occur.