Alprazolam, caffeine and their interaction: relating DRL performance to pharmacokinetics

Methylxanthines and drug dependence: a focus on interactions with substances of abuse

This chapter examines the psychostimulant actions of methylxanthines, with a focus on the consequences of their excessive use. Consumption of methylxanthines is pervasive and their use is often associated with that of substances known to produce dependence and to have abuse potential. Therefore, the consequences of this combined use are taken into consideration in order to evaluate whether, and to what extent, methylxanthines could influence dependence on or abuse of other centrally active substances, leading to either amplification or attenuation of their effects. Since the methylxanthine that mostly influences mental processes and readily induces psychostimulation is caffeine, this review mainly focuses on caffeine as a prototype of methylxanthine-produced dependence, examining, at the same time, the risks related to caffeine use.

The effect of zolpidem on operant behavior and its relation to pharmacokinetics after intravenous and subcutaneous administration: concentration-effect relations

We characterized the effects of i.v. and s.c. zolpidem (1-8 mg/kg) under a differential reinforcement of low-rate schedule (i.e. DRL 45 s) in 3-hour sessions. Both behavioral and pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic analyses were used with the intent to compare the effects of zolpidem with those of benzodiazepines reported previously under the same behavioral paradigm. Zolpidem increased the shorter-response [inter-response times (IRTs)<45 s] rate and decreased the reinforcement rate in a dose- and time-related fashion. The behavioral profiles of zolpidem were mainly similar to those of benzodiazepines, except zolpidem produced far fewer shorter IRT responses. Pharmacokinetically, zolpidem decays biexponentially with distributional and terminal elimination half-lives of 5.2 and 42 min, respectively. The absorption rate constant and absolute bioavailability for s.c. zolpidem were 0.083/min and of 84.1%, respectively. The pharmacodynamic parameters for the reinforcement rate, an index of timing performance, were determined by integration of behavioral and pharmacokinetic profiles in a between-subject design using the effect-linked inhibitory sigmoidal E(max) model. The pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic analysis revealed that the potency of zolpidem (concentration required to produce 50% maximal effects, IC(50)) in disrupting the timing performance was 0.129 microg/ml. The pharmacodynamic estimates of zolpidem were compared to our previous results for benzodiazepines.

Intravenous and oral clozapine pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and concentration-effect relations: acute tolerance

We examined the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of intravenous (1-5 mg/kg) and oral clozapine (2.5-10 mg/kg) in rats (terminal half-life=81.8 min; oral bioavailability=5.32%). Both dose- and concentration-effect relations of clozapine were characterized. Clozapine's effects were similar to those of benzodiazepines because of the similarity in effect-time profiles between the two classes of drugs. The IC(50) value increased as a function of dose; consequently, clozapine's relative potency decreased linearly with the logarithm of AUC((0-infinity)), or bioavailable dose regardless of route of administration. The IC(50) is an index for the sensitivity of behavioral performance to clozapine; relative potency provides an index for estimating the extent of acute tolerance. As IC(50) increases, relative potency decreases, and consequently, acute tolerance increases. Our results demonstrated that greater acute tolerance was observed for i.v. clozapine than for p.o. clozapine; however, clozapine exhibited a single concentration-effect relation across dose and route of administration after correcting for relative potencies.

Post-injection delays in experimental chambers, but not in home cages, produce both sensitization and tolerance of operant behaviour to midazolam: relation to pharmacokinetics

The effects of post-injection delay time and environmental context on behaviour after subcutaneous administration of 3 mg/kg midazolam were investigated under a differential reinforcement of low rate schedule (i.e. DRL 45 s) in 3 h sessions. Post-injection delays were varied (0-120 min) for two groups of rats placed in either the experimental chamber (group 1) or home cage (group 2) during the pre-session delay times. Midazolam increased shorter-response (inter-response times < 45 s) rates and decreased reinforcement rates in a time-related manner. Reinforcement rate-time profiles were also integrated with parallel pharmacokinetics. Post-injection delays in either environment yielded performances that mirrored the pharmacokinetic profile operative at the corresponding time-delay points. At higher concentrations (> 0.12 microg/ml) the pharmacokinetics of midazolam largely determined the behavioural effects in both groups, regardless of post-injection delays. However, at lower drug concentrations, longer post-injection delays (> 60 min) in the experimental chamber produced both sensitization and tolerance, as measured by greater increases in shorter-response rates and a more rapid return of the reinforcement rate, respectively. Interaction of the discriminative stimulus effects of midazolam with the context probably alters the magnitude of behavioural effects when the delay occurs in the experimental chambers, whereas no such interaction is present in group 2. The DRL schedule with post-injection delays in experimental chambers provides a useful behavioural paradigm for studying both sensitization and tolerance.

Pharmacokinetic determinants of cocaine's differential effects on locomotor and operant behavior

Dose-response, effect-time and concentration-effect relations of intravenous cocaine (1-4 mg/kg) were investigated on contingency-controlled [fixed-ratio (FR) 70 performance] and unconditioned (locomotor activity) behaviors. Cocaine dose-response curves exhibited decreasing rates of response under the FR 70 schedule but increasing locomotor activity in a dose-related fashion. Effect-time profiles confirmed that these changes were time-dependent and provided additional clarity by mirroring the biexponential decay of cocaine concentrations with time. The duration of action of cocaine was comparatively shorter on locomotor activity than on FR performance. We integrated effect-time profiles of the two behaviors with concentration-time profiles simulated from our previously published pharmacokinetic parameters to derive cocaine's pharmacodynamic parameters. Classical inhibitory Emax and sigmoidal Emax models were used to describe cocaine's effects on FR performance and locomotor activity, respectively. Simultaneous pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling reveals evidence of acute tolerance to cocaine in locomotor activity, as indicated by decreasing potency with dose, but not in contingency-controlled behavior.

Caffeine has similar pharmacokinetics and behavioral effects via the i.p. and p.o. routes of administration

Caffeine administered intraperitoneally (i.p.) or orally (p.o.) decreased the reinforcement rate and increased the nonreinforced response rate in a dose-related fashion under a differential reinforcement of low rate schedule (DRL 45-s) in 3-h sessions. These effects were similar following both routes of caffeine administration. The parallel pharmacokinetics for i.p. and p.o. caffeine were each determined and related to the respective effects of caffeine on reinforcement rate. Serum caffeine concentrations were similar across the session after the absorption phase for a given dose. Consequently, the effect remained in approximately the same range within a dose, and no single dose possessed a full concentration-effect relation for the two routes. The effects of i.p. and p.o. caffeine on reinforcement rate plateaued at doses higher than 40 mg/kg, which produced a serum caffeine concentration of approximately 25 microg/ml regardless of the route of administration. The EC50 values were 7.34 and 9.93 microg/ml for i.p. and p.o. caffeine, respectively. This study as well as our previous studies demonstrated that the i.p. route is dependable for studying caffeine dose response relations but not for studying other drugs (e.g., midazolam). The possible mechanism accounting for this difference is discussed.

Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of the coexistence of stimulatory and sedative components for midazolam

Midazolam increased the shorter-response rate and decreased the reinforcement rate of a contingency-controlled timing behavior--a differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate 45-s schedule. The responding rate changes observed were immediately interpretable as functions of midazolam concentration during a 3-h session--a period for investigating the onset, peak, and disappearance of midazolam effect--in rats. That the midazolam pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model was a direct application of our alprazolam pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model implies that both drugs exhibit similar pharmacological effects. The two peaks of the shorter-response rate increases produced by midazolam were modeled as a stimulation-sedation model that consisted of two opposing effect-link sigmoidal Emax functions. The stimulation-sedation model suggested that midazolam possesses both stimulatory and sedative effects in a continuous but sequential fashion, and hypothesizes the coexistence of stimulation and sedation components for midazolam; this model may help delineate possible mechanisms for rebound side effects and of tolerance in humans. The reinforcement rate was, then, an index for evaluating the deficit in timing performance.

Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of midazolam after intravenous, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal and oral administration under a chronic food-limited regimen: relating DRL performance to pharmacokinetics

The effects of midazolam on animal behavior often are evaluated under a chronically food-limited regimen, which is used to implement food-reinforced performance, but the corresponding pharmacokinetics are lacking. The present study investigated the pharmacokinetics of midazolam after i.v., s.c., i.p., and p.o. administration in food-limited rates. A two-compartment model best described the concentration-time profiles for the four routes of administration. The rate of midazolam absorption was rapid, and peak concentrations were attained in less than 7 min for the three extravascular routes. The mean volume of distribution of the central compartment and clearance were 0.77 l/kg and 2.03 l/h per keg, respectively. Midazolam elimination half-lives for the four routes of administration ranged from 23.1 to 49.5 min, and metabolites could not be detected. The mean absolute bioavailability was route-dependent: 39.3% (s.c.) 19.2% (i.p.) and 4.6% (p.o.). The markedly low oral bioavailability found in food-limited rats contrasted to the value reported for free-feeding rates (45%). Although the i.p. route yielded the highest maximum concentration on occasion, serum midazolam concentration-time profiles were variable, but did correspond to respective sedative responses. DRL 45-s performance after s.c., i.p., and p.o. administration further supported the advisability of using the s.c. route of administration, as opposed to the i.p. route, for studying midazolam dose-response relations. The bioavailability values assessed from DRL performance also agree with the measured pharmacokinetic values.