Electroencephalographic activation by tacrine, deprenyl, and quipazine: cholinergic vs. non-cholinergic contributions.

Drugs that stimulate central cholinergic transmission can induce activated, high frequency electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in rats. Monoaminergic enhancement also produces EEG activation, either by a direct stimulation of monoaminergic transmission in cortex, or a transsynaptic excitation of cholinergic projection neurons receiving excitatory monoaminergic afferents. We examined the degree of cholinergic involvement in EEG activation produced by monoaminergic and cholinergic drugs in rats.