Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Fitzgerald, Amanda C
• Wright, Brittany T
• Heldt, Scott A

Titel

The behavioral pharmacology of zolpidem: evidence for the functional significance of alpha 1-containing GABA sub(A) receptors

Ist Teil von

• Psychopharmacology, 2014-05, Vol.231 (9), p.1865-1896

Erscheinungsjahr

2014

Quelle

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Rationale: Zolpidem is a positive allosteric modulator of gamma -aminobutyric acid (GABA) with preferential binding affinity and efficacy for alpha 1-subunit containing GABA sub(A) receptors ( alpha 1-GABA sub(A)Rs). Over the last three decades, a variety of animal models and experimental procedures have been used in an attempt to relate the behavioral profile of zolpidem and classic benzodiazepines (BZs) to their interaction with alpha 1-GABA sub(A)Rs. Objectives: This paper reviews the results of rodent and non-human primate studies that have evaluated the effects of zolpidem on motor behaviors, anxiety, memory, food and fluid intake, and electroencephalogram (EEG) sleep patterns. Also included are studies that examined zolpidem's discriminative, reinforcing, and anticonvulsant effects as well as behavioral signs of tolerance and withdrawal. Results: The literature reviewed indicates that alpha 1-GABA sub(A)Rs play a principle role in mediating the hypothermic, ataxic-like, locomotor- and memory-impairing effects of zolpidem and BZs. Evidence also suggests that alpha 1-GABA sub(A)Rs play partial roles in the hypnotic, EEG sleep, anticonvulsant effects, and anxiolytic-like of zolpidem and diazepam. These studies also indicate that alpha 1-GABA sub(A)Rs play a more prominent role in mediating the discriminative stimulus, reinforcing, hyperphagic, and withdrawal effects of zolpidem and BZs in primates than in rodents. Conclusions: The psychopharmacological data from both rodents and non-human primates suggest that zolpidem has a unique pharmacological profile when compared with classic BZs. The literature reviewed here provides an important framework for studying the role of different GABA sub(A)R subtypes in the behavioral effects of BZ-type drugs and helps guide the development of new pharmaceutical agents for disorders currently treated with BZ-type drugs.