In contrast to clinically available antipsychotics, the novel benzopyranopyrrolidine derivative, S33138 (N-[4-[2-[(3aS,9bR)-8-cyano-1,3a,4,9b-tetrahydro[1]benzopyrano [3,4-c]pyrrol-2(3H)-yl)-ethyl]phenyl-acetamide), behaves as a preferential antagonist of D 3 versus D 2 receptors and does not interact with histamine H 1 and muscarinic receptors. In contrast to haloperidol, clozapine, olanzapine, and risperidone, S33138 (0.16 -2.5 mg/kg s.c.) did not disrupt performance in passive-avoidance and five-choice serial reaction time procedures. Furthermore, upon either systemic administration (0.04 -2.5 mg/kg s.c.) or introduction into the frontal cortex (0.04 -0.63 g/side), S33138 potently attenuated the perturbation of social recognition by scopolamine or a prolonged intersession delay. Over a comparable and low-dose range, S33138 (0.04 -0.63 mg/kg s.c.) elevated dialysis levels of acetylcholine in the frontal cortex of freely moving rats. At higher doses (2.5-10.0 mg/kg s.c.), S33138 also increased frontocortical levels of histamine, whereas monoamines, glutamate, glycine, and GABA were unaffected. By analogy to the other antipsychotics, S33138 (0.63-10.0 mg/kg s.c.) inhibited conditioned avoidance responses in rats, apomorphine-induced climbing in mice, and hyperlocomotion elicited by amphetamine, cocaine, dizocilpine, ketamine, and phencyclidine in rats. S33138 (0.16 -2.5 mg/kg s.c.) also blocked the reduction of prepulse inhibition elicited by apomorphine. In comparison with the above actions, only "high" doses of S33138 (10.0 -40.0 mg/kg s.c.) elicited catalepsy. To summarize, reflecting preferential blockade of D 3 versus D 2 receptors, S33138 preserves and/or enhances cognitive function, increases frontocortical cholinergic transmission, and is active in models of antipsychotic properties at doses well below those inducing catalepsy. In comparison with clinically available agents, S33138 displays, thus, a distinctive and promising profile of potential antipsychotic properties.We have recently described a novel benzopyranopyrrolidine derivative, S33138 (Millan et al., 2008a,b) that behaves as a preferential antagonist at cloned, human, and native cerebral dopaminergic D 3 versus D 2 receptors. In addition, it displays modest antagonist properties at serotonin (5-HT) 2A receptors, 5-HT 7 receptors, and ␣ 2C -adrenoceptors (ARs), blockade of which may also be useful in the treatment of schizophrenia Svensson, 2003). In contrast, S33138 does not interact with histamine H 1 , muscarinic, or ␣ 1 -adrenoceptors, antagonism of which provokes cardiovascular-autonomic side effects (Kroeze et al., 2003;Lieberman, 2005). This distinctive receptor-binding profile differentiates S33138 from clinically employed antipsychotics like the neuroleptic and D 2 /D 3 receptor antagonist, haloperidol; the "atypical" agent, clozapine; and two further mulArticle, publication date, and citation information can be found at
