Pharmacologica/ Research Communications, Vo/. 14, No. 2, 1982 163 A STUDY ON BEHAVIOURAL ALTERATIONS INDUCED BY INTRACEREBRO- VENTRICULAR ADMINISTRATION OF BOMBESIN TO RATS F. Cantalamessa, G. de Caro, M. Massi and L.G. Nicossi Institute of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, 62052 Camerino (Italy). Received in final form 5 October 198 I SUMMARY The intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of bombesin to rats, be- sides inhibiting water and food intake, produced intense grooming, altera- tion of explorative behaviour and of spontaneous motor activity, but nei- ther neurological nor autonomic modifications. Experimental data suggest that the antidipsogenic effect of bombesin is specific and cannot be considered a mere consequence of other specific or aspecific behavioural alterations. INTRODUCTION In a recent paper we reported that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) bombesin inhibits drinking induced in rats by angio- tensin II, carbachol or water deprivation (de Caro e_~tal., 1980). In that paper we stated that the inhibition is apparen- tly specific since the peptide produces other behavioural al- terations (food intake inhibition and grooming) only at doses far larger than those which affect drinking. However, after the paper had been published, we observe4 that after bombesin grooming was more intense than we thought and that also spontaneous motor activity was affected by the peptide. These observations raised again the question of whether the antidipsogenic effect of bombesin was a mere consequence of other behavioural alterations. Thus, in an attempt to throw 0031-6989/82/020163-11/$02.00/0 © 1982 The Italian Pharmacological Society