title: GABAergic modulation of the discriminative stimulus effects of methamphetamine.
abstract: To assess whether gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) modulation of dopamine is important in mediation of the discriminative stimulus effects of methamphetamine, the GABA compounds chlordiazepoxide (benzodiazepine site agonist), pentobarbital (barbiturate site agonist), bicuculline and pentylenetetrazol (GABA(A) receptor antagonists) were tested in Sprague-Dawley rats trained to discriminate methamphetamine (1 mg/kg, i.p.) from saline. Each of the compounds produced modest amounts of methamphetamine-appropriate responding (20-35%) when tested alone. When tested in combination with methamphetamine, the antagonists (bicuculline and pentylenetetrazol) failed to shift the methamphetamine dose-effect curve. In contrast, chlordiazepoxide (25 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced methamphetamine-appropriate responding at each dose of methamphetamine tested, and pentobarbital (10 mg/kg, i.p.) dose-dependently decreased the discriminative stimulus effects of 1 mg/kg methamphetamine. In conclusion, GABA(A) antagonists and positive modulators likely do not produce methamphetamine-like stimulus effects. However, activation of GABA(A) receptors can interfere with the discriminative stimulus effects of methamphetamine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, 76107, USA. mgatch@hsc.unt.edu
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Gatch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Selvig
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Forster
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001640:Bicuculline / Q000494:pharmacology; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002707:Chlordiazepoxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D018755:GABA Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018757:GABA Modulators; D058785:GABA-A Receptor Agonists; D058787:GABA-A Receptor Antagonists; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D018755:GABA Agonists; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D018757:GABA Modulators; D058785:GABA-A Receptor Agonists; D058787:GABA-A Receptor Antagonists; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D008694:Methamphetamine; D002707:Chlordiazepoxide; D010424:Pentobarbital; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole; D001640:Bicuculline