A Simple Tremor Model Induced by Pentobarbitone in Guinea Pig

Abstract

We have recently reported that a combined application of chlorpromazine and pentobarbitone induced intermittently occurring tremor bursts in guinea pigs (Tan et al., in press). This was a chance discovery. It will be shown in the present work that chlorpromazine is not essential for this postural tremor; only pentobarbitone in low dosages produced intermittent tremor bursts in guinea pigs lying in a supine position. Chlorpromazine alone was not effective in producing tremor. The pentobarbitone-induced tremors were attenuated by the i. v. application of biperiden or lioresal. These results indicate that these tremors would be produced by the basal ganglia as in Parkinsonism.

Keywords:

• tremor
• pentobarbitone
• parkinsonism
• guinea pig