Anxiolytics antagonize yohimbine's discriminative stimulus properties.
Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate 3.2 mg/kg yohimbine HCl from saline in a two-lever operant procedure. Generalization tests indicated that piperoxane, another alpha 2-adrenergic blocker with anxiogenic properties in humans, produces yohimbine-like discriminati-effects.. In contrast to yohimbine and piperoxane, many other agents were discriminated as vehicle, including corynanthine, raubasine, phentolamine, prazosin, WB-4101, mianserin, tolazoline, and mezilamine. Diazepam caused a dose-related antagonism of yohimbine's stimulus properties. A partial antagonism of yohimbine cueing was also obtained with meprobamate, phenobarbital, chlordiazepoxide, and clonazepam. These results suggest that yohimbine discrimination in rats may be a useful model for detecting agents with anxiolytic activity.
D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003463:Cues; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D005795:Generalization, Stimulus / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D010883:Piperoxan / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D015016:Yohimbine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D015016:Yohimbine; D010883:Piperoxan