Abstract
The behavioral effects of the benzodiazepine antagonist Ro 15-1788 were studied in squirrel monkeys after acute injections of benzodiazepines. Monkeys responded under a multiple schedule of food presentation with alternating fixed-interval (FI) and fixed-ratio (FR) components. Chlordiazepoxide (10 mg/kg) increased FI responding and had little effect on FR responding 1 h after it was administered; FI responding was still elevated during the session on the following day. When Ro 15-1788 (0.1–3 mg/kg) was administered 1 h after chlordiazepoxide, it antagonized the effects of chlordiazepoxide in a dose-related manner. When Ro 15-1788 was administered 1 day after chlordiazepoxide, however, doses of 1 or 3 mg/kg suppressed both FI and FR responding. Suppression of schedule-controlled responding was also observed when Ro 15-1788 (3 mg/kg) was administered 1 day after diazepam (3 or 5.6 mg/kg) or N-desmethyldiazepam (5.6 mg/kg). The results show that Ro 15-1788 can precipitate disruption of schedule-controlled behavior 1 day after acute treatment with benzodiazepines.
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Animals used in this study were maintained in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Animals of the Harvard Medical School and of the Committee on Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, National Research Council; DHEW publication (NIH) 78-23, revised 1978
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Spealman, R.D. Disruption of schedule-controlled behavior by Ro 15-1788 one day after acute treatment with benzodiazepines. Psychopharmacology 88, 398–400 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00180845
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00180845