Ontogeny of tolerance to haloperidol: behavioral and biochemical measures

Early-life risperidone administration alters maternal-offspring interactions and juvenile play fighting

Risperidone is an antipsychotic drug that is approved for use in childhood psychiatric disorders such as autism. One concern regarding the use of this drug in pediatric populations is that it may interfere with social interactions that serve to nurture brain development. This study used rats to assess the impact of risperidone administration on maternal-offspring interactions and juvenile play fighting between cage mates. Mixed-sex litters received daily subcutaneous injections of vehicle or 1.0 or 3.0mg/kg of risperidone between postnatal days (PNDs) 14-42. Rats were weaned and housed three per cage on PND 21. In observations made between PNDs 14-17, risperidone significantly suppressed several aspects of maternal-offspring interactions at 1-hour post-injection. At 23 h post-injection, pups administered risperidone had lower activity scores and made fewer non-nursing contacts with their moms. In observations of play-fighting behavior made once a week between PNDs 22-42, risperidone profoundly decreased many forms of social interaction at 1h post-injection. At 23h post-injection, rats administered risperidone made more non-social contacts with their cage mates, but engaged in less social grooming. Risperidone administration to rats at ages analogous to early childhood through adolescence in humans produces a pattern of abnormal social interactions across the day that could impact how such interactions influence brain development.

Age matters

The age of an experimental animal can be a critical variable, yet age matters are often overlooked within neuroscience. Many studies make use of young animals, without considering possible differences between immature and mature subjects. This is especially problematic when attempting to model traits or diseases that do not emerge until adulthood. In this commentary we discuss the reasons for this apparent bias in age of experimental animals, and illustrate the problem with a systematic review of published articles on long-term potentiation. Additionally, we review the developmental stages of a rat and discuss the difficulty of using the weight of an animal as a predictor of its age. Finally, we provide original data from our laboratory and review published data to emphasize that development is an ongoing process that does not end with puberty. Developmental changes can be quantitative in nature, involving gradual changes, rapid switches, or inverted U-shaped curves. Changes can also be qualitative. Thus, phenomena that appear to be unitary may be governed by different mechanisms at different ages. We conclude that selection of the age of the animals may be critically important in the design and interpretation of neurobiological studies.

Antipsychotic-induced suppression of locomotion in juvenile, adolescent and adult rats

Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric disorder that is most frequently treated with the administration of antipsychotics. Although onset of schizophrenia typically occurs in late adolescence, the majority of preclinical research on the behavioral effects of antipsychotics and their mechanism(s) of action has been conducted on adult male animals. In this study, the acute effects of haloperidol (0.03-0.3 mg/kg, i.p.) and clozapine (1-10 mg/kg, i.p.) on locomotor activity were examined in juvenile [postnatal day 22 (PN22)], adolescent (PN40), and adult (>PN70) rats of both sexes. Subsequently, in order to determine whether tolerance to the activity suppressive effects of these drugs would occur in adolescents, PN40 rats were dosed and assessed for an additional nine days. While all groups exhibited some degree of suppression following acute administration of both drugs, juvenile rats were considerably more sensitive to this effect. With sub-chronic administration during late adolescent development (PN40-PN49), tolerance failed to develop. These results emphasize the importance of age in pharmacological characterization of antipsychotics and suggest that pre-adolescents may have enhanced sensitivity to the motor effects of these drugs. Further, they suggest that, similar to adults, older adolescents may not develop tolerance to the activity suppression induced by these two antipsychotics.

Serotoninergics attenuate hyperlocomotor activity in rats. Potential new therapeutic strategy for hyperactivity

Hyperactivity is thought to be associated with an alteration of dopamine (DA) neurochemistry in brain. This conventional view became solidified on the basis of observed hyperactivity in DA-lesioned animals and effectiveness of the dopaminomimetics such amphetamine (AMP) in abating hyperactivity in humans and in animal models of hyperactivity. However, because AMP releases serotonin (5-HT) as well as DA, we investigated the potential role of 5-HT in an animal model of hyperactivity. We found that a greater intensity of hyperactivity was produced in rats when both DA and 5-HT neurons were damaged at appropriate times in ontogeny. Therefore, previously we proposed this as an animal model of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - induced by destruction of dopaminergic neurons with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) (neonatally) and serotoninergic neurons with 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) (in adulthood). In this model effects similar to that of AMP (attenuation of hyperlocomotion) were produced by m-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP) but not by 1-phenylbiguanide (1-PG), respective 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 agonists. The effect of m-CPP was shown to be replicated by desipramine, and was largely attenuated by the 5-HT2 antagonist mianserin. These findings implicate 5-HT neurochemistry as potentially important therapeutic targets for treating human hyperactivity and possibly childhood ADHD.

Dietary Tyrosine Protects Striatal Dopamine Receptors from the Adverse Effects of REM Sleep Deprivation

L-Tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid that is produced as an intermediary metabolite in the conversion of phenylalanine to 3,4-dihyroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), and is a precursor of the neurotransmitter dopamine. In previous studies, tyrosine pretreatment was shown to protect against the neurochemical and behavioral deficits of acute stress caused by tail shock or cold exposure in rodents. The present study addressed the hypothesis that tyrosine administration may be an effective counter-measure to dopamine-mediated behaviors induced by rapid eye-movement sleep deprivation (RSD). In order to test the hypothesis, Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 9 treatment groups: RSD-treated rats on normal-protein diet (20% casein: 1% tyrosine, 1% valine); tank control (TC) rats on a normal diet; cage control (CC) rats on normal diet; RSD-treated rats on 4% tyrosine diet; TC rats on 4% tyrosine diet; CC rats on 4% tyrosine diet; RSD-treated rats on 4% valine diet; TC rats on 4% valine diet; CC rats on 4% valine diet. In the RSD group receiving tyrosine, there was no apparent change in Bmax for binding of the dopamine D2 receptor ligand [(3)H]YM-09151-2 in the striata as compared to the respective TC and CC groups; whereas RSD-treated rats maintained on the normal diet and valine supplementation demonstrated expected increases in Bmax for ligand binding. The TC group on the tyrosine diet showed attenuated catalepsy compared to the corresponding CC group, while the RSD group consuming tyrosine showed a catalepsy that was significantly increased, and similar to that of cage control animais on a control diet. These data suggest that the tyrosine-supplemented diet significantly attenuated RSD-induced changes in striatal dopamine D2 receptors, and the effect appeared sufficient to influence RSD-induced behaviors.

Undernutrition during suckling changes the sensitivity to haloperidol and chlorpromazine in two behavioural measures in weaning rats

Undernutrition during critical periods of development may cause changes in the behavioural responses of rats to centrally acting drugs. In the present study, the effects of undernutrition during suckling on the behavioural responses of 21-days-old rats to chlorpromazine (0, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg) or haloperidol (0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1 or 2 mg/kg) were examined. Locomotion was assessed at 1 hr 30 min., 4 hr 30 min., 7 hr 30 min, and 10 hr 30 min., and catalepsy was scored at 3 hr, 6 hr and 9 hr after drug administration. Drug was injected on two consecutive days. On day 1, saline-treated undernourished rats showed significantly greater locomotion activity than did normal rats. The neuroleptic-induced inhibition of locomotor activity in undernourished rats was significantly less than that observed in normal rats from 4 hr 30 min. to 10 hr 30 min. (chlorpromazine) or from 7 hr 30 min. to 10 hr 30 min. (haloperidol). On day 2, a similar trend was observed but only in rats injected with 5 mg/kg chlorpromazine or 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg haloperidol. On day 1, the catalepsy scores at 3 hr revealed no significant difference between nutritional groups, but at 6 hr undernourished rats responded significantly less to chlorpromazine or haloperidol. On day 2, undernourished rats were less responsive to neuroleptics than normal rats, but the effect was not so evident as observed on day 1. The present results suggest that the behavioural effects of chlorpromazine and haloperidol are less persistent in undernourished rats, possibly due to differences in drug distribution and elimination, when compared to well-nourished rats.

The depolarization block hypothesis of neuroleptic action: implications for the etiology and treatment of schizophrenia

Antipsychotic drugs are known to block dopamine receptors soon after their administration, resulting in an increase in dopamine neuron firing and dopamine turnover. Nonetheless, antipsychotic drugs must be administered repeatedly to schizophrenics before therapeutic benefits are produced. Recordings from dopamine neurons in rats have revealed that chronic antipsychotic drug treatment results in the time-dependent inactivation of dopamine neuron firing via over-excitation, or depolarization block. Furthermore, the clinical profile of the response to antipsychotic drugs appears to correspond to the dopamine system affected: antipsychotic drugs that exert therapeutic actions in schizophrenics inactivate dopamine neuron firing in the limbic-related ventral tegmental area, whereas drugs that precipitate extrapyramidal side effects cause depolarization block of the motor-related substantia nigra dopamine cells. One factor that remains unresolved with regard to the actions of antipsychotic drugs is the relationship between dopamine turnover and depolarization block--i.e., why does a significant level of dopamine release or turnover remain after antipsychotic drug treatment if dopamine cells are no longer firing? We addressed this question using an acute model of neuroleptic-induced depolarization block. In this model, dopamine cells recorded in rats one month after partial dopamine lesions could be driven into depolarization block by the acute administration of moderate doses of haloperidol. However, similar doses of haloperidol, which were effective at increasing dopamine levels in the striatum of intact rats, failed to change dopamine levels in lesioned rats. This is consistent with a model in which neuroleptic drugs exert their therapeutic effects in schizophrenics by causing depolarization block in DA cells, thereby preventing further activation of dopamine neuron firing in response to external stimuli. Thus, attenuating the responsivity of the dopamine system to stimuli may be more relevant to the therapeutic actions of antipsychotic drugs than receptor blockade or decreases in absolute levels of dopamine, which could presumably be circumvented by homeostatic adaptations in this highly plastic system.

Ontogenic homologous supersensitization of dopamine D1 receptors

To determine whether prolonged supersensitization of dopamine D-1 receptors could be produced during ontogeny, rats were treated daily, from birth, for 33 consecutive days with the D-1 receptor agonist, SKF 38393 HCl (3.0 mg/kg per day i.p.). These rats were additionally treated at 3 days after birth with the neurotoxin, 6-hydroxydopamine HBr (6-OHDA; 200 micrograms i.c.v., half in each lateral ventricle) or its vehicle. At 6 to 7 weeks from birth a challenge dose of SKF 38393 HCl (3.0 mg/kg i.p.) increased stereotypy scores for a number of behaviors in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats that were treated repeatedly during ontogeny with SKF 38393. These accentuated behaviors included licking, grooming, taffy pulling, jumping, paw treading and locomotion. Although the findings demonstrate an increased sensitivity of D-1 receptors to an agonist, there was no change in the Bmax or Kd for D-1 receptors in the striatum. In rats that were treated during postnatal development with SKF 38393, but not lesioned with 6-OHDA, SKF 38393-induced stereotyped behaviors were not substantially different from control. The neonatally primed rat model may be useful for probing mechanisms of receptor supersensitivity.

Sensitization versus tolerance to the dopamine turnover-elevating effects of haloperidol: the effect of regular/intermittent dosing

Recent clinical research suggests that particular patterns of changes in presynaptic dopamine (DA) turnover accompany the therapeutic response to neuroleptics. We sought to determine whether daily versus weekly dosing of haloperidol for 3 weeks produced distinct effects on DA, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), and homovanillic acid (HVA) concentrations in multiple brain areas. Daily dosing favored the development of tolerance to the DA-turnover elevating effects of haloperidol in the striatum and nucleus accumbens. Weekly dosing favored the development of sensitization in the striatum, posterior olfactory tubercle, and ventral tegmental area. These results suggest that dosing schedules may determine, at least in part, the effects of chronic neuroleptic administration on presynaptic DA function.

Attenuation of SCH 23390-induced alteration of striatal dopamine D1 receptor ontogeny by prolyl-leucyl-glycinamide in the rat

Long-term postnatal treatment of rats with SCH 23390 is associated with a reduction in the development of dopamine D1 receptors in the striatum. Because the tripeptide, L-prolyl-L-leucyl-glycinamide (PLG) attenuates the neuroleptic-induced increase in D2 receptors in the striatum in adult rats, this study was undertaken with the objective of determining whether PLG could modulate a developmental alteration in the D1 subtype of receptor. Rats were treated with the dopamine D1 receptor antagonist, SCH 23390 (R[+]-7-chloro-8-hydroxy-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1-H-3- benzazepine) (0.30 mg/kg/d i.p.) for 32 successive days from birth, while D1 receptors in the striatum were assessed at 5 and 8 weeks from birth. Postnatal treatment with SCH 23390 reduced in vitro binding of [3H]SCH 23390 to homogenates in the striatum by 70% at 8 weeks. Scatchard analysis at 5 weeks determined that the Bmax for the binding of [3H]SCH 23390 was reduced by 78%, while the Kd was unaltered. When PLG (1.0 mg/kg/d.i.p.) was administered together with SCH 23390 for the initial 32 days from birth, the binding of [3H]SCH 23390 to homogenates of the striatum was unchanged from that of the control group at 8 weeks. Also, at 5 weeks the Bmax and Kd were unaltered from control in the group that was treated with both SCH 23390 and PLG. The binding of [3H]SCH 23390 was not altered from control in the group treated with PLG alone. Also, PLG given in vitro did not alter the binding of [3H]SCH 23390 to control homogenates of the striatum. These findings indicate that PLG is able to attenuate neuroleptic-induced alterations in dopamine D1 receptors in the striatum.

Perinatal bromopride treatment: effects on motor activity and stereotyped behavior of offspring

Effects of different perinatal treatments with bromopride (BRO), a dopaminergic blocking agent, on open-field behavior and apomorphine (APO)-induced stereotypy were examined just after weaning and in adult Wistar rats. Weanling rats of mothers treated with BRO during lactation had greater general activity (24-48 hours after weaning) and higher stereotypy scores (96 hours after weaning) than pups from vehicle-treated control mothers. These results were not observed in rats of mothers treated with BRO only during pregnancy (BV group), nor was it as evident in animals of mothers treated during pregnancy and lactation (BB group). When adults, females had normal estrous cycles and the characteristic higher ambulation than males. However, males from groups BV and BB had lower ambulation frequencies than control males (VV group). The possibility that BRO interacts with the development of dopamine mechanisms in the brain at different sensitive developmental periods, and thereby influences later behavior, is discussed.

MIF-1 attenuates spiroperidol alteration of striatal dopamine D2 receptor ontogeny

Long-term postnatal treatment of rats with the dopamine D2 receptor antagonist, spiroperidol, results in the impaired development of striatal D2 receptors. Because the tripeptide prolyl-leucyl-glycinamide (MIF-1) attenuates haloperidol-induced up-regulation of striatal dopamine D2 receptors in adult rats, we studied the effect of MIF-1 on the spiroperidol-induced alteration of striatal D2 ontogeny. Postnatal treatment of rats with spiroperidol (1.0 mg/kg/day, IP, x32 days from birth) resulted in a 74% decrease in the Bmax for [3H]spiroperidol binding with no change in the Kd at 5 weeks. When rats were studied at 8 weeks, in the absence of additional treatment, total specific [3H]spiroperidol binding was reduced by 59%. While MIF-1 alone (1.0 mg/kg/day, IP, x32 days from birth) had no effect on [3H]spiroperidol binding, MIF-1 completely attenuated the ontogenic impairment of striatal D2 receptors that was produced by spiroperidol treatment. At 5 weeks the Bmax for [3H]spiroperidol binding was at the saline control level in the group of rats cotreated with spiroperidol and MIF-1. At 8 weeks, with no additional treatments, the specific binding of [3H]spiroperidol to striatum was also at control levels in the group cotreated with spiroperidol and MIF-1. These findings demonstrate that MIF-1 attenuates spiroperidol-induced impairment of development of striatal dopamine D2 receptors in rats.

Impaired ontogeny of striatal dopamine D1 and D2 binding sites after postnatal treatment of rats with SCH-23390 and spiroperidol

The effect of chronic postnatal treatment of rats with selective D1- and/or D2-receptor antagonists on the development of D1- and D2-receptors in the striatum was studied. When neonatal rats were treated postnatally from the day of birth for 32 successive days with the D1-receptor antagonist, SCH-23390 (0.30 mg/kg i.p.), the development of striatal dopamine D1-receptors was markedly impaired, and the development of striatal D2-receptors was slightly impaired. Alternatively, chronic treatment with the D2-receptor antagonist, spiroperidol (1.0 mg/kg i.p.), resulted in a markedly impaired development of striatal dopamine D2-receptors, and a slightly impaired development of striatal D1-receptors. Scatchard analysis revealed that chronic SCH-23390 treatment during development resulted in a 78% decrease in the Bmax for in vitro binding of [3H]SCH-23390 to striatal homogenates, while the Kd was unaltered. Similarly, chronic postnatal treatment with spiroperidol was associated with a 74% reduction in the Bmax, while the Kd for in vitro binding of [3H]spiroperidol to striatal homogenates was unchanged. These findings demonstrate that chronic selective dopamine receptor antagonism affects development of both striatal D1- and D2-receptor types. The critical period during which striatal dopamine receptor ontogeny can be altered is not restricted to prenatal periods, since suitable postnatal challenge will alter striatal dopamine-receptor development.

Impaired striatal dopamine receptor development: differential D-1 regulation in adults

Previous reports have indicated that prenatal, but not postnatal, haloperidol impairs the ontogenic development of striatal dopamine D-2 receptors. In the present study a specific D-2 receptor antagonist, spiroperidol (1.0 mg/kg i.p.) and/or a specific D-1 receptor antagonist, SCH 23390 (0.30 mg/kg i.p.), was administered to rats for 32 successive days from birth. Postnatal spiroperidol and SCH 23390 treatments markedly impaired the development of striatal dopamine D-2 and D-1 receptors, respectively, at 12 weeks after birth. Spiroperidol did not affect D-1 receptor development and did not modify the effect of SCH 23390 treatment. Also, SCH 23390 did not affect D-2 receptor development and did not modify the effect of spiroperidol treatment. When rats with impaired development of striatal D-2 receptors were challenged at 12 weeks with spiroperidol (1.0 mg/kg per day i.p. x 17 days) D-2 receptors did not up-regulate. However, when rats with impaired development of striatal D-1 receptors were challenged at 12 weeks with SCH 23390 (0.30 mg/kg per day i.p. x 17 days) D-1 receptors did up-regulate. These findings demonstrate that postnatal treatment with D-1 and D-2 receptor antagonists can permanently impair the development of striatal D-1 and D-2 receptors. Moreover, the ability of developmentally impaired striatal D-1 receptors to up-regulate in adulthood appears to be greater than that for the developmentally impaired striatal D-2 receptors.

Decreasing sensitivity to neuroleptic agents in developing rats; evidence for a pharmacodynamic factor

Developing rats are far more sensitive than adults to the behavioral effects of haloperidol. The present results support the hypothesis that this change may reflect age-related changes in brain responses such as alterations in drug-receptor or drug-effector mechanisms. Dose-response studies of catalepsy and ptosis were conducted in male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 30, 56, or 100 days. Resulting dose-effect curves were approximately parallel and showed rightward shifts with highly significant progressive increases of ED50. Similar developmental decreases in drug sensitivity (3-6x) were found following systemic (PO or IP) administration of haloperidol or the phenothiazine neuroleptic perphenazine, which differ markedly in structure, potency, distribution, and metabolism. Age-related decreases in drug sensitivity (3-4x) were also found using intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of both agents in an attempt to bypass potential "pharmacokinetic" influences. Since the age-dependent decrease in sensitivity to both neuroleptics was found during the rising phase of drug action (1st hour) and ranked: PO greater than IP greater than ICV, some change in absorption and distribution of both drugs may occur in addition to the apparently important maturational decrease in target-organ sensitivity indicated by the responses to direct ICV injection and by the similarity of results obtained with dissimilar agents.

Developmental and age-related changes in D1-dopamine receptors and dopamine content in the rat striatum

The relationship between the postnatal development of dopaminergic (DAergic) nerve endings and the maturation of D1 DA receptors in the rat striatum was analyzed by measuring the content of DA and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), two biochemical markers of DAergic nerve terminal proliferation, and the ontogenetic changes in [3H]SCH 23390 binding sites. DA-stimulated adenylate cyclase (AC) activity was also measured in order to characterize the coupling of [3H]SCH 23390 binding sites to the responses mediated by the activation of D1 DA receptors. Striatal levels of DA and DOPAC, as well as the density and affinity of [3H]SCH 23390 binding sites and DA-stimulated AC activity were also measured in senescent rats. The striatal content of DA increased slowly after birth, reaching adult levels by postnatal day 60 and remaining constant through adulthood and senescence (up to 20 months of age). The density of [3H]SCH 23390 binding sites increased 14-fold from birth to postnatal day 35, when a peak value was reached, whereas a significant decrease was observed in the striatum of aged rats. In contrast, the affinity of D1 DA receptors for [3H]SCH 23390 remained unchanged from birth through senescence. The stimulation of cyclic AMP formation induced by 100 microM DA increased 4-fold from birth to postnatal day 14, when the maximal responsiveness to DA was observed and then returned to adult levels. No significant alterations were observed in the Km values during development, whereas the stimulatory effect of 100 microM DA on AC activity was significantly decreased in senescent rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Morphological effects of chronic haloperidol administration on the postnatal development of the striatum

The aim of this paper is to describe the morphological changes induced in the striatum after the administration of haloperidol during the first postnatal month, a period in which a lack of tolerance to treatment with neuroleptics has been reported. At the end of the treatment several morphological parameters were evaluated including neuron size and density and the synaptic profile areas of cross-sectioned dendrites and axon terminals. The results evidenced a loss of the smallest dendritic profiles without the rest of the parameters examined being affected. This response differs from the one observed in the adult rat striatum that does develop tolerance to haloperidol. It seems to more closely correspond to the changes found in the prefrontal cortex, a region that does not develop tolerance after chronic treatment with neuroleptics.