Antidepressant effects of pramipexole, a dopamine D3/D2 receptor agonist, and 7-OH-DPAT, a dopamine D3 receptor agonist, in olfactory bulbectomized rats.

Treatment with pramipexole, a dopamine D(3)/D(2) receptor agonist, reduces depressive symptoms in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. To test the putative antidepressant quality of pramipexole, its effects were assessed in one of the most attractive animal models of depression, the olfactory bulbectomized (OBX) rat. Two experiments studied the effects of pramipexole on bulbectomy-induced hyperactivity.