title: Amitriptyline sensitization of a serotonin-mediated behavior depends on the passage of time and not repeated treatment.
abstract: Daily treatment for 10 days with either amitriptyline or the tricyclic muscle relaxant, cyclobenzaprine, increased the incidence of head-twitch behavior in response to 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) when this was examined two days later. Only one day of amitriptyline treatment followed by an 11-day hiatus before administration of 5-HTP also sensitized the head-twitch response whereas similar amitriptyline treatment followed by 5-HTP one hour later failed to do so. These data provide the first evidence for time-dependent sensitization of brain serotonin systems.
mesh_terms: D006916:5-Hydroxytryptophan / Q000494:pharmacology; D000639:Amitriptyline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; D000639:Amitriptyline; C004704:cyclobenzaprine; D006916:5-Hydroxytryptophan