Effects of chlordiazepoxide administration on biogenic amines in cat brain

Cats underwent treatment with chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride (0.4, 10.0, and 20.0 mg/kg per os), for 7 consecutive days, and were killed 18 h after the last administration. The endogenous levels of serotonin (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), noradrenaline (NA), and dopamine (DA) were assayed in 12 brain areas. Few effects on 5-HT, 5-HIAA, and NA content and on the 5-HT:5-HIAA ratio were observed with a 0.4 mg/kg treatment. These changes were localized in the piriform lobe (amygdala), hippocampus, mesencephalon, and mesencephalon raphe nuclei. Moreover, the DA concentration was not affected. The changes produced by 10.0 and 20.0 mg/kg chlordiazepoxide treatments were extended to many more structures, including the limbic system, brainstem, diencephalon, and neostriatum with respect to 5-HT, 5-HIAA, and NA content and also to DA levels. The changes observed after the three doses generally included an increased 5-HT content, a decreased 5-HIAA level, a high 5-HT:5-HIAA ratio, and increased NA and DA concentrations. However, in some structures, a decreased NA content and an increased 5-HIAA level were found. The present results suggest that administration of chlordiazepoxide for 7 consecutive days in cats produces regional changes in the content of endogenous biogenic amines in the central nervous system (CNS) at low doses; much more extended effects are produced at high doses. These findings are in agreement with a reducing effect of benzodiazepines on the turnover and release of biogenic amines in the CNS, but also suggest that certain discrete areas are more involved in these changes, thus dissociating them from the rest of the brain.