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Sensitization, kindling, and anticonvulsants in mania
1Biological Psychiatric Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Md. 20892.
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
|December 1, 1989
Summary
Cocaine-induced mania in humans and animal models shows progressive stages. Drug treatments may be more effective at specific stages of manic syndrome evolution.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Cocaine use can trigger manic syndromes of varying severity.
- Repeated cocaine administration in animals leads to behavioral sensitization and pharmacologic kindling.
- These animal models offer insights into the progressive nature and recurrence of manic syndromes in humans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the longitudinal evolution of cocaine-induced manic syndromes.
- To explore the differential responsiveness of various drug classes to distinct stages of manic progression.
Main Methods:
- Review of animal models of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization and pharmacologic kindling.
- Examination of the differential efficacy of neuroleptics in behavioral sensitization.
- Analysis of anticonvulsant effects in kindling models.
Main Results:
- Behavioral sensitization and pharmacologic kindling represent progressive syndromes.
- Different phases of behavioral sensitization show varying responsiveness to neuroleptics.
- Anticonvulsants demonstrate stage-dependent efficacy in kindling.
Conclusions:
- The stage of manic syndrome progression may influence treatment effectiveness.
- Further research is needed to determine if pharmaco-responsivity to antimanic agents differs based on the stage of mania.
- Lithium, neuroleptics, and newer anticonvulsants (carbamazepine, valproic acid, clonazepam) are relevant in this context.