The neuropeptide orexin-A modulates the sleep-wake cycle such that central administration to rats increases arousal, reduces slow-wave-sleep (SWS) and paradoxical sleep (PS) and delays PS onset. The contribution of orexin-1 and -2 receptor (OXR) activation to this orexin-A response is still unknown. Using the OX(1)R antagonist SB-334867-A we investigated the role of this receptor in orexin-A-induced PS alteration. Male rats prepared for frontal-occipital electroencephalograph, nuchal muscle electromyograph recording and lateral ventricle cannulae received vehicle or orexin-A (10 microg icv) at lights on in combination with vehicle or SB-334867-A (10 or 30 mg/kg ip) 30 min pre-icv injection. The amount of arousal, SWS 1, SWS 2 and PS was determined during the 1st h post icv administration along with the latency to onset of the first> or =10 s epoch of PS. Orexin-A administration reduced the amount and increased the latency to onset of PS. SB-334867-A reversed this effect of orexin-A. The present study demonstrates that the OX(1)R also has a role in orexinergic sleep modulation.

5-HT(2) receptor antagonists promote slow wave sleep (SWS) in humans and rats, conversely 5-HT(2) agonists inhibit SWS in rats. These alterations are thought to be predominantly mediated via the 5-HT(2C) receptor subtype. It is evident that 5-HT(2) receptor function also plays an important role in depression. Here, we examine the acute effect of the selective 5-HT(2C) receptor antagonist 5-methyl-1-[[-2-[(2-methyl-3-pyridyl)oxy]-5-pyridyl]carbamoyl]-6-triflouromethylindoline hydrochloride (SB-243213-A) on rat sleep in comparison to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) paroxetine. Both SB-243213-A (10 mg/kg po) and paroxetine (3 mg/kg po) significantly increased deep SWS (SWS2) quantity (27% and 24%, respectively) and reduced paradoxical sleep (PS) quantity (35%) during the sleep period. Following SB-243213-A, SWS2 occurrence frequency was reduced (24.1%); however, elevated quantity of SWS2 can be attributed to an increase in occurrence duration (81%). Reduced PS quantity results from a decrease in occurrence frequency (46%). In comparison, paroxetine increased SWS2 occurrence frequency (50%), with decreased frequency (27%) and duration (21%) of PS. The data for SB-243213-A in the present study is consistent with that following ritanserin supporting 5-HT(2C) receptor subtype mediation of this response. The similar effect of SB-243213-A to paroxetine with regard to PS quantity provides further evidence that 5-HT(2C) receptor antagonists maybe beneficial in the treatment of depression/anxiety.

RATIONALE:Motivational effects of psychotropic drugs may contribute to their therapeutic profile and progressive ratio (PR) schedules provide a method of measuring these effects in animals.OBJECTIVE:Determine effects of selected antipsychotic, psychotomimetic, anxiolytic and antidepressant drugs on PR performance in common marmosets.METHOD:Marmosets were trained to lever press for banana milkshake reinforcement using a PR schedule, in which the number of lever presses to achieve successive reinforcements increased by one until responding ceased (breakpoint).RESULTS:Clozapine administered intramuscularly (0.01-2 mg/kg IM; 30 min pretreatment time (ptt) or by oral gavage (0.1-4 mg/kg PO; 60 min ptt) significantly increased the breakpoint. Independent tests of fluid consumption failed to show enhanced fluid intake after clozapine pretreatment, suggesting this effect was not due to drug induced polydipsia. Neither haloperidol (0.005-0.1 mg/kg PO; 60 min ptt) nor risperidone (0.0025-0.05 mg/kg PO; 60 min ptt) altered breakpoint. Olanzapine (0.01-1 mg/kg PO; 60 min ptt) significantly enhanced the breakpoint at 0.05 mg/kg PO, but the effect was not robust. Amphetamine (0.2-2 mg/kg SC; 30 min ptt) significantly reduced the breakpoint at 2 mg/kg and fluoxetine (0.1-1 mg/kg PO; 60 min ptt) was without effect. Diazepam significantly increased the breakpoint at 0.5 mg/kg PO. Drug-induced polydipsia might play a role in this response as independent tests showed increased fluid consumption following diazepam.CONCLUSIONS:These results demonstrate that, unlike other antipsychotics, clozapine over a wide dose range increased the motivational state of marmosets to respond for banana milkshake. This motivational aspect of clozapine's actions may contribute to its unique clinical profile and the PR procedure may provide a method for detecting novel antipsychotics with a clozapine-like profile.

Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of the novel hypothalamic neuropeptide orexin-A stimulates food intake in rats, and delays the onset of behavioural satiety (i.e. the natural transition from feeding to resting). Furthermore, preliminary findings with the selective orexin-1 receptor antagonist, SB-334867, suggest that orexin-A regulation of food intake is mediated via the orexin-1 receptor. At present, however, little is known about either the intrinsic effects of SB-334867 on the normal structure of feeding behaviour, or its effects upon orexin-A-induced behavioural change. In the present study, we have employed a continuous monitoring technique to characterize the effects of SB-334867 (3-30 mg/kg, i.p.) on the microstructure of rat behaviour during a 1-h test with palatable wet mash. Administered alone, SB-334867 (30 mg/kg, but not lower doses) significantly reduced food intake and most active behaviours (eating, grooming, sniffing, locomotion and rearing), while increasing resting. Although suggestive of a behaviourally nonselective (i.e. sedative) action, the structure of feeding behaviour was well-preserved at this dose level, with the reduction in behavioural output clearly attributable to an earlier onset of behavioural satiety. As previously reported, orexin-A (10 microg per rat i.c.v.) stimulated food intake, increased grooming and delayed the onset of behavioural satiety. Pretreatment with SB-334867 dose-dependently blocked these effects of orexin-A, with significant antagonism evident at dose levels (3-10 mg/kg) below those required to produce intrinsic behavioural effects under present test conditions. Together, these findings strongly support the view that orexin-A is involved in the regulation of feeding patterns and that this influence is mediated through the orexin-1 receptor.

Orexin-A is a novel neuropeptide initially isolated from hypothalamic extracts but now known to be present in fibres distributed throughout the rat CNS including many regions associated with sleep-wake regulation. The recognition of a particularly dense innervation of orexinergic nerves in the locus coeruleus, together with the observed increase in firing rate of locus coeruleus neurons following application of orexin-A in vitro, further highlighted a potential involvement of the peptide in modulating the arousal state. The present study was undertaken to determine the effects of intracerebroventricularly (ICV) administered orexin-A on the sleep-wake cycle of conscious rats using electroencephalographic and electromyographic recordings. When administered at the onset of the normal sleep period, orexin-A (1, 10 or 30 mu g/rat ICV) produced a dose-dependent increase in the time rats spent awake during the second and third hours after dosing. The enhancement of arousal was accompanied by a marked reduction in paradoxical sleep and deep slow wave sleep at the highest dose. The latency to the first occurrence of paradoxical sleep was also prolonged. This overall profile of increased arousal and decreased paradoxical sleep is consistent with a high rate of firing of locus coeruleus neurons as would be expected to occur following ICV administration of orexin-A. It is concluded that orexin-A may play an important physiological role in regulating the sleep-wake state, a hypothesis considerably strengthened by the recently reported narcoleptic phenotype of prepro-orexin (the precursor for orexin-A) knockout mice.

Although intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of orexin-A has been reported to stimulate food intake and/or feeding behaviour in rats, mice and goldfish, little attention has thus far been paid to its effects on normal patterns of feeding. In the present study, a continuous monitoring technique was used to characterise the effects of this novel neuropeptide on the microstructure of rat behaviour during a 1-h test with palatable wet mash. Particular attention was devoted to the behavioural satiety sequence, in which feeding is followed by grooming and resting. Although results confirmed the hyperphagic effects of orexin-A (3.33-30.0 microg i.c. v.), gross behavioural analysis failed to reveal any reliable effects of peptide treatment on eating, drinking, sniffing, grooming, resting, locomotion or rearing. However, microstructural analysis revealed behavioural effects of orexin-A that are both dose- and time-dependent. At lower doses (3.33-10.0 microg), orexin-A primarily delayed behavioural satiety, i.e. the normal transition from eating to resting. In contrast, the 30 microg dose initially induced a sedative-like effect, significantly suppressing eating and other active behaviours for the first 15-20 min of the test period. This sedative-like effect resulted in a phase-shifting of the entire behavioural sequence with higher than control levels of eating, grooming, locomotion, rearing and sniffing observed over the second half of the test session. Present findings illustrate the advantages of microstructural behavioural analysis and suggest that the hyperphagic response to low doses of orexin-A results largely from a delay in behavioural satiety while that seen in response to high doses may occur in rebound to initial behavioural suppression. Further studies will be required to confirm the identity of the specific orexin receptors (i.e. OX(1) or OX(2)) involved in mediating the dose-dependent behavioural effects reported.

Two methods of measuring body temperature were compared in common marmosets. Subcutaneous temperatures were measured remotely via previously implanted subcutaneous microchips (Plexx BV, IPTT-100) prior to measurement of rectal temperature using a conventional rectal probe. Marmosets were treated with saline or the brain penetrant, 5-HT1A/B/D receptor agonist SKF-99101H (3-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)-4-chloro-5-propoxyindole hemifumarate) (0.3–3 mg/kg SC), which has previously been shown to induce hypothermia in guinea pigs. Body temperature was sampled immediately before drug administration and at 30-min intervals thereafter for a period of 2.5 h. SKF-99101H dose-dependently induced hypothermia in the common marmoset and there was close agreement between rectal and subcutaneous body temperatures, with an average difference in absolute body temperature of 0.26 ± 0.02° C. The data show that subcutaneously implanted microchips provide a simple, reliable measure of body temperature in common marmosets which is sensitive to pharmacological intervention, minimizes handling induced stress, and is minimally invasive.

A method of measuring confrontation-induced behavioural changes in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) together with automated monitoring of locomotor activity has been developed as a possible model of anxiety. Recording both affiliative and agonistic behaviours between male/female pairs of marmosets and using diazepam as a reference drug, it has been possible to define a profile of behavioural changes which could be regarded as representing an anxiolytic response. Unfamiliar male/female pairs of marmosets were brought into close (non-contact) proximity in a controlled environment, in which their locomotor activity was recorded automatically. Simultaneously, their interactive behaviour was assessed by an independent observer via closed-circuit television. The following behaviours were analysed: aggressive postures, allogrooming, scratching, anxiety-related behaviours, social contact and self-grooming. Administration of diazepam at 1 and 3.5 mg/kg PO induced a significant (compared to control) reduction in scratching, aggressive behaviours, anxiety-related behaviours and an increase in allogrooming without affecting locomotor activity during confrontation. Differing responses dependent on gender were not found, nor did gender influence the effect of treatment on behaviour. Habituation to repeated confrontation did not occur. The results from this study demonstrate that this method can be used to measure anxiolytic activity in an objective manner.

1. SB 206553 (5-methyl-1-(3-pyridylcarbamoyl)-1,2,3,5-tetrahydropyrrolo[2 ,3-f]indole) displays a high affinity (pK1 7.9) for the cloned human 5-HT2C receptor expressed in HEK 293 cells and the 5-HT2B receptor (pA2 8.9) as measured in the rat stomach fundus preparation. SB 206553 has low affinity for cloned human 5-HT2A receptors expressed in HEK 293 cells (pK1 5.8) and (pK1 < 6) for a wide variety of other neurotransmitter receptors. 2. SB 206553 appears to be a surmountable antagonist of 5-HT-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in HEK 293 cells expressing the human 5-HT2C receptor (pKB 9.0). 3. The compound potently (ID50 5.5 mg kg-1, p.o., 0.27 mg kg-1, i.v.) inhibited the hypolocomotor response to m-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP), a putative model of 5-HT2C/5-HT2B receptor function in vivo. 4. At similar doses (2-20 mg kg-1, p.o.) SB 206553 increased total interaction scores in a rat social interaction test and increased punished responding in a rat Geller-Seifter conflict test. These effects are consistent with the possession of anxiolytic properties. 5. SB 206553 also increased suppressed responding in a marmoset conflict model of anxiety at somewhat higher doses (15 and 20 mg kg-1, p.o.) but also reduced unsuppressed responding. 6. These results suggest that SB 206553 is a potent mixed 5-HT2C/5-HT2B receptor antagonist with selectivity over the 5-HT2A and all other sites studied and possesses anxiolytic-like properties.

SB 200646A is the first selective 5-HT2C/5-HT2B receptor antagonist and has previously been observed to have anxiolytic-like properties in the rat social interaction test. In the present study the effects of the compound in two conflict models of anxiety, the rat Geller-Seifter and marmoset conflict test, were examined. In the rat Geller-Seifter test, suppressed responding was increased by all doses of SB 200646A between 5 and 40 mg/kg PO when given 1 h pretest. Unsuppressed responding was slightly increased only at 10 mg/kg PO. Suppressed responding was also increased by the benzodiazepine anxiolytic, chlordiazepoxide, at 1, 2.5 and 5 mg/kg PO 1 h pretest. Unsuppressed responding was modestly increased by chlordiazepoxide only at 5 mg/kg PO. In the marmoset conflict test marmosets were trained to lever press for a palatable food reward. Lever pressing was subsequently suppressed by air puffs. In this procedure suppressed responding was increased by both the benzodiazepine anxiolytic diazepam at 2 and 5 mg/kg PO and SB 200646A after 10 and 20 mg/kg PO. Both treatments caused small increases in unsuppressed responding at 2 and 20 mg/kg PO respectively. Taken together with the previous effects of SB 200646A in the rat social interaction test, this is compelling evidence that 5-HT2C/2B receptor antagonists may possess anxiolytic properties.

Isosteric replacement of the indole nucleus in a series of pyrido[2,3-b]indoles e.g. 1 and 2 has provided potent GABA(A) modulators with potential anxiolytic activity. Both benzothiophene and cycloalkyl fused heterocyclic ring systems are acceptable moieties.

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The novel 5-HT3 antagonist, BRL 46470A (endo-N-(8-methyl-8-azabicyclo [3.2.1]oct-3-yl)2,3-dihydro-3,3 dimethyl-indole-1-carboxamide, hydrochloride), has been investigated in a series of in vitro and in vivo tests, including the effect of the drug in models of anxiolysis. In classical tests for 5-HT3 receptor antagonism, BRL 46470A was shown to antagonise 5-HT3 mediated responses in the guinea-pig ileum [pA2 8.3±0.5, slope 0.98±0.20, mean±SEM (5)], the rabbit isolated heart (pA2 10.1±0.1, slope 1.2±0.2,n=5) and the rat Bezold-Jarisch model (ID50 0.7 µg/kg IV±0.1,n=8), with a long duration of action (>3 h). BRL 46470A selectively displaced [3H]-BRL 43694 from 5-HT3 binding sites in rat brain membranes (Ki 0.32 nM±0.04,n=4) without displacing (at concentrations greater than 1 µM) a wide variety of ligands binding to other neurotransmitter receptors, opioid receptors and to neurotransmitter gated ion channel complexes. In vivo, BRL 46470A showed anxiolytic-like activity in two animal models predictive of antianxiety effects-elevated X-maze and social interaction in rats. In both models, BRL 46470A showed significant activity over a wide dose-range following both oral (0.0001–0.1 mg/kg PO) and systemic administration. The unique level of potency of BRL 46470A was apparent in the rat social interaction test and was shown to be 100 fold more potent than the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron, with no evidence of a bell-shaped dose response curve over 4 orders of magnitude. BRL 46470A (0.0001 and 0.01 mg/kg SC) also reduced the anxiogenic effects of m-CPP (1-(3-chlorophenyl) piperazine) in the rat elevated X-maze. BRL 46470A is therefore a chemically novel potent and selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist with anxiolytic potential and a long duration of action in animal studies.

A novel series of 4-amino-pyrido[2,3-b]indoles is presented as GABAA modulators with good potential as therapeutic agents for the treatment of anxiety disorders.

RU 31158, 6-(orthochlorophenyl)-1, 2-dihydro-2 (N-methylpiperazine-1-yl) methylene-8-nitro-IH, 4H-imidazo [1,2-a] [1,4] benzodiazepin-1-one methanesulphonate, demonstrated potent hypnotic activity compared to diazepam when examined in the mouse and rat. RU 31158 potentiated minimal hypnosis in mice induced by both hexobarbital and chlorprothixene with ED50 values of 2.15 (1.53-3.01) and 0.69 (0.46-1.02) mg/kg p.o. respectively; these compared to values for diazepam of 17.00 (11.25-25.67) and 3.60 (2.25-5.76) mg/kg p.o. RU 31158 also potentiated hexobarbital in the rat with an ED50 value of 1.2 (0.7-2.0) mg/kg p.o. as compared to 32.0 (27.5-38.5) mg/kg p.o. for diazepam. Sleep studies in the rat confirmed the hypnotic properties of RU 31158, and also showed that the duration of action at 8.0 and 16.0 mg/kg p.o. was not longer than 9 hours. RU 31158 also showed potent minor tranquilizer, anxiolytic, and anti-convulsant properties in a series of pharmacological tests.