Acute effects of olanzapine on behavioural expression including the behavioural satiety sequence in female rats

Olanzapine is a novel antipsychotic drug known to induce clinically significant weight gain. Although the cause of such weight gain is not fully known, drug-induced changes in appetite and food intake are likely to play a significant role together with other possible mechanisms enhancing weight and/or adiposity. We assessed acute drug effects on 1 hour intake and behavioural expression in female rats. Low doses of olanzapine (0.5 and 1 mg/kg) enhanced acute mash intake. Marked drug effects were seen on a number of behaviours following olanzapine over a range of doses. These effects included dose-related reductions in activity and exploratory behaviours and associated substantial dose-related increases in resting behaviour. Behavioural data were also used to plot drug effects over time, including behavioural satiety sequence (BSS) profiles, to evaluate whether olanzapine's hyperphagic effects might be a consequence of altered satiety development. BSS profiles reflected enhanced eating behaviour at low doses (0.5 and 1 mg/kg) but showed dose-related increases in resting, indicative of drug-induced sedation, which meant that it was impossible to fully discern olanzapine's effects on satiety. Acute olanzapine induces both hyperphagia and sedation, both of which may promote weight gain and adiposity, but which interact competitively.