title: NMDA antagonists: lack of antipunishment effect in squirrel monkeys.
abstract: Effects of the noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist phencyclidine (PCP) and competitive antagonists 3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP) and 2-amino-4,5-(1,2-cyclohexyl)-7-phosphonoheptanoic acid (NPC 12626) were studied in 6 squirrel monkeys trained under a multiple schedule of unpunished and punished lever pressing. PCP (0.03-0.3 mg/kg, IM) failed to produce increases in punished responding, even at doses that produced extreme response-rate decreases in nonpunishment components. Similarly, CPP (1-17 mg/kg) and NPC 12626 (3-30 mg/kg) did not produce increases in punished responding at any dose tested. Repeated administration of NPC 12626 (17 mg/kg) for 4 consecutive days did not result in increased rates of punished responding. The benzodiazepine anxiolytic midazolam (0.3 mg/kg) and, to a lesser extent, the barbiturate pentobarbital (5.6 mg/kg), produced increases in punished responding in the same subjects at doses that did not markedly affect unpunished responding. Coadministration of PCP (0.03 mg/kg) with doses of midazolam ranging from 0.03-3 mg/kg did not produce changes in the midazolam dose-response curve for either unpunished or punished responding. These results fail to support findings in rats that NMDA antagonists produce antipunishment effects similar to those of benzodiazepine anxiolytics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Mansbach
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Willetts
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Jortani
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Balster
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects*; D007531:Isoflurophate; D008297:Male; D008874:Midazolam / Q000494:pharmacology; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology; D010622:Phencyclidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011678:Punishment; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012453:Saimiri
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D010879:Piperazines; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; C060212:NPC 12626; D007531:Isoflurophate; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; C050592:3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonic acid; D010424:Pentobarbital; D010622:Phencyclidine; D008874:Midazolam