The Adverse Effects of Pramipexole on Probability Discounting Are Not Reversed by Acute D or D Receptor Antagonism

Pramipexole (PPX) is a D and D dopamine receptor agonist approved for clinical use, which is associated with a higher risk of impulse-control disorders. Using a rat model, we recently found that low doses of the monoamine-depleting agent reserpine (RES; 1 mg/kg/day, SC) dramatically increased the untoward effects of PPX (0.3 mg/kg/day, SC) on probability discounting, a key impulsivity function. To further understand the neurobehavioral mechanisms underlying these effects, we first tested whether the combination of PPX and RES may lead to a generalized enhancement in risk taking, as tested in the suspended wire-beam paradigm. The association of RES and PPX did not augment the proclivity of rats to cross the bridge in order to obtain a reward, suggesting that the effects of RES and PPX on probability discounting do not reflect a generalized increase in impulsivity. We then studied what receptors mediate the effects of PPX in RES-treated rats. The combination of RES and PPX increased membrane expression and binding of D, but not D dopamine receptors, in the nucleus accumbens. However, the behavioral effects of PPX and RES were not reduced by acute treatments with the D/D receptor antagonist raclopride (0.01-0.05 mg/kg, SC), the highly selective D receptor antagonist L-741,626 (0.1-1 mg/kg, SC) or the D receptor antagonists GR 103691 (0.1-0.3 mg/kg, SC) and SB 277011A (1-10 mg/kg, SC). These findings collectively suggest that the effects of PPX in probability discounting do not reflect generalized enhancements in impulsivity or acute dopamine D or D receptor activation.