title: Role of the NMDA receptor NR2B subunit in the discriminative stimulus effects of ketamine.
abstract: The noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, ketamine, is a dissociative anesthetic with antihyperalgesic properties. However, its clinical use is compromised by psychotomimetic side-effects. As ketamine and other noncompetitive NMDA antagonists, such as phencyclidine and dizocilpine, are not selective for the NR2A-2D subunits of the NMDA receptor, it is unclear which of these subunits is responsible for the psychotomimetic side-effects. This study investigated the role of the NR2B subunit in the ketamine drug discrimination model, a possible correlate for such side-effects. In a first experiment aimed at assessing general potency and time dependency, ketamine, dizocilpine, phencyclidine and the NR2B-selective antagonists ifenprodil and Ro 25-6981, dose-dependently suppressed fixed ratio 10 food-reinforced responding in rats, with peak efficacy obtained around 15-40 min. In rats trained to discriminate ketamine from vehicle in a two-lever fixed ratio 10 food-reinforced procedure, ketamine, dizocilpine, phencyclidine and Ro 25-6981 induced complete generalization (>80%); whereas ifenprodil induced partial generalization (33%). These findings suggest that the NR2B subunit is involved in the discriminative stimulus effects of noncompetitive NMDA antagonists, and that selective NR2B antagonists may also induce psychotomimetic side-effects.
authors.affiliation: CNS Research, Bayer Health Care, Aprather Weg 18a, 42096 Wuppertal, Germany. jean.vry.jv1@bayer-ag.de
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Vry
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Jentzsch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007649:Ketamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D010622:Phencyclidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010636:Phenols / Q000494:pharmacology; D010880:Piperidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000502:physiology; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; C409466:NR1 NMDA receptor; C121001:NR2B NMDA receptor; D010636:Phenols; D010880:Piperidines; D021122:Protein Subunits; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; C109643:Ro 25-6981; D007649:Ketamine; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; D010622:Phencyclidine; C010739:ifenprodil