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Pharmacological characteristics of zolpidem-induced catalepsy in the rat
Pawel Mierzejewski1, Marcin Kolaczkowski, Natalia Nowak
1Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract:
Zolpidem is a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic drug acting preferentially at α1-containing GABAA receptors expressed in various parts of the brain, including the basal ganglia. The aim of the present study was to provide preliminary characteristics of zolpidem-induced catalepsy in Wistar rats. Zolpidem (2.5-10.0mg/kg), but not diazepam and midazolam, produced dose-dependent cataleptic responses in the bar test, which were similar to those produced by a reference antipsychotic drug, haloperidol. Zolpidem-induced catalepsy was abolished by a benzodiazepine site antagonist, flumazenil (5.0mg/kg), D2/3 receptor agonist, quinpirole (1.0mg/kg), and a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, MK-801 (0.1mg/kg), but not by a non-selective opioid receptor antagonist, naltrexone (3.0mg/kg). The present results indicate that systemic injections of zolpidem may produce short-lasting, neuroleptic-like catalepsy in the rat.
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