Dopaminergic neurons exert a major modulatory effect on the forebrain. Dopamine and adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate–regulated phosphoprotein (32 kilodaltons) (DARPP-32), which is enriched in all neurons that receive a dopaminergic input, is converted in response to dopamine into a potent protein phosphatase inhibitor. Mice generated to contain a targeted disruption of the DARPP-32 gene showed profound deficits in their molecular, electrophysiological, and behavioral responses to dopamine, drugs of abuse, and antipsychotic medication. The results show that DARPP-32 plays a central role in regulating the efficacy of dopaminergic neurotransmission.

Antipsychotic agents were tested for their ability to antagonize both dopaminergic-induced and non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist-induced behaviors. All of the agents dose-dependently antagonized the apomorphine-induced climbing mouse assay (CMA) and dizocilpine (MK-801)-induced locomotion and falling assay (MK-801-LF) with a CMA/MK-801-LF ratio of less than or equal to 1.6. However, clozapine and its structural analog olanzapine more potently antagonized MK-801-LF (1.1 and 0.05 mg/kg) than the CMA (12.3 and 0.45 mg/kg) and as a result had a CMA/MK-801-LF ratio of 11.2 and 9, respectively. Furthermore, phencyclidine (PCP) (2 mg/kg) can selectively induce social withdrawal in naive rats that were housed in pairs (familiar) for 10 days prior to testing without affecting motor activity. SCH 23390, raclopride, haloperidol, chlorpromazine and risperidone failed to reverse the social withdrawal induced by PCP up to doses which produced significant motor impairment. However, clozapine (2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg) and olanzapine (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg) significantly reversed this social withdrawal in rats. Therefore, the non-competitive NMDA antagonists PCP and MK-801 can induce behaviors in Rodents which are selectively antagonized by clozapine and olanzapine. Furthermore, assessment of the effects of antipsychotic agents in the CMA, MK-801-LF and PCP-induced social withdrawal assays may provide a preclinical approach to identify novel agents for negative symptoms and treatment resistant schizophrenia.

Schedule-induced polydipsia was used to determine the effects of selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors on adjunctive water consumption. Polydipsia was induced in food deprived rats by exposure to a fixed time feeding schedule (FT = 60 s) for 150 min per day for 22 days. Selected polydipsic rats consumed 3-4 times greater volume of water compared to food deprived control rats. Chronic administration of the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors fluoxetine and clomipramine (CMI) at 5 mg/kg per day and fluvoxamine at 10 mg/kg twice a day significantly decreased schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) on day 15 and throughout the remainder of the study compared to control rats. The noradrenergic re-uptake inhibitor, desipramine (DMI), only decreased SIP behavior on day 1. The neuroleptic, haloperidol (0.03 and 0.1 mg/kg), and the benzodiazepine, diazepam (2.5 mg/kg), failed to alter SIP behavior. Since obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and polydipsic behavior both involve excessive expression of a normal behavior, the polydipsia model may be relevant for the prediction of compounds useful in the treatment of OCD.

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