CNS dopamine agonistic action of the Vitex agnus-castus extract Ze 440 in freely moving, chronically instrumented animals

Background Dopamine agonistic action is intensively under investigation because of its usefulness in movement disorder. Extracts prepared from Vitex agnus-castus (VAC) showed remarkable dopamine agonistic actions believed to inhibit exaggerated prolactin release in premenstrual syndrome. Method In order to investigate whether oral administered VAC besides inhibition of stimulated prolactin release might induce general dopamine action within the central nervous system (CNS), the pattern of field potentials was recorded from electrodes positioning at frontal cortex, hippocampus, striatum and reticular formation. A…