Related Experiment Videos
Thioridazine chronic administration: a behavioural and autoradiographic study
L Calzà1, L Giardino, P V Piazza
1Institute of Human Physiology, Palerma, Italy.
Neuroscience Letters
|February 5, 1990
Summary
Chronic thioridazine treatment in rats induced behavioral supersensitivity to apomorphine. Dopamine (DA) receptor density increased in some brain areas and decreased in others, potentially explaining the drug's antipsychotic effects.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Antipsychotic drugs, like thioridazine, modulate dopamine (DA) neurotransmission.
- Understanding the long-term effects of antipsychotics on DA receptors is crucial for explaining their therapeutic and side effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of chronic thioridazine administration on rat behavior and dopamine receptor density.
- To correlate changes in DA receptor distribution with observed behavioral alterations.
Main Methods:
- Rats received chronic oral thioridazine (5 mg/kg) for 22 days.
- Behavioral supersensitivity to apomorphine was assessed.
- Quantitative autoradiography was used to measure DA receptor density in various brain regions.
Main Results:
- Thioridazine treatment increased locomotion and stereotypies induced by apomorphine, while decreasing grooming behavior.
- DA receptor density increased in the striatum and olfactory tubercle, correlating with increased stereotypies and locomotion.
- DA receptors also increased in medial and dorsal frontal cortex, but decreased in nucleus accumbens septi and lateral frontal cortex.
Conclusions:
- Chronic thioridazine alters dopamine receptor density in a region-specific manner in rats.
- Observed changes in DA receptor density may underlie both the therapeutic (antipsychotic) and behavioral effects of thioridazine.