Effects of baclofen on dopamine-dependent behaviors in mice

Baclofen, the parachlorophenyl analog of GABA, was found to induce catalepsy and to inhibit the traction response in mice. However, baclofen pretreatment, instead of antagonizing methamphetamine stereotypy and apomorphine-induced cage climbing behavior, was found to potentiate these behaviors, thereby ruling out the possibility of its possessing postsynaptic dopamine (DA) receptor blocking activity. The possible mechanism involved in the induction of catalepsy and in the inhibition of the traction response by baclofen is discussed on the basis that baclofen, by inhibiting the firing of the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic DA neurons, reduces the release of DA and thereby produces a functional lack of DA at postsynaptic DA receptor sites with resultant induction of catalepsy and inhibition of the traction response. Further, the hyper-responsiveness to methamphetamine and apomorphine is explained on the basis that, as the postsynaptic DA receptors are acutely deprived of their transmitter, following baclofen pretreatment, they become supersensitive to the DA agonists.