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The effect of chronic treatment with antidepressant drugs on salbutamol-induced hypoactivity in rats

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Abstract

Several lines of evidence (binding studies, reduced responsiveness of brain adenylate cyclase to noradrenergic stimulation, electrophysiological data) indicate that chronic treatment with antidepressant drugs induces subsensitivity of central β-adrenergic receptors. We studied the effect of acute (single dose) and chronic (14 days, twice daily) treatment with imipramine, desmethylimipramine, amitriptyline, fluvoxamine and citalopram (10 mg/kg, orally) on salbutamol-induced suppression of exploratory activity in rats. This effect of salbutamol was antagonized by chronic, but not acute treatment with antidepressants. Chronic treatment with antidepressants as a rule did not significantly affect exploratory activity. Our results may be regarded as functional evidence at the behavioural level for the subsensitivity of β-adrenergic receptors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smetna Str., PL-31-343, Krakow, Poland

    Edmund Przegalinski, Leokadia Baran & Joanna Siwanowicz

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  1. Edmund Przegalinski
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  2. Leokadia Baran
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  3. Joanna Siwanowicz
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Przegalinski, E., Baran, L. & Siwanowicz, J. The effect of chronic treatment with antidepressant drugs on salbutamol-induced hypoactivity in rats. Psychopharmacology 80, 355–359 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00432120

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00432120

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