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. 1990 Jan;99(1):11–12. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1990.tb14644.x

Chronic diazepam treatment in rats causes long-lasting changes in central [3H]-5-hydroxytryptamine and [14C]-gamma-aminobutyric acid release.

P K Hitchcott 1, S E File 1, M Ekwuru 1, M J Neal 1
PMCID: PMC1917496  PMID: 2331565

Abstract

The effects of chronic diazepam administration to rats on the central release of [3H]-5-hydroxytryptamine ([3H]-5-HT) and [14C]-gamma-aminobutyric acid ([14C]-GABA, ex vivo) were examined. Chronic (5 and 21 days) administration of diazepam (4 mg kg-1 i.p. daily for 21 days) reduced the K-evoked (20 mM KCl) release of [3H]-5-HT from frontal cortex by approximately 50%. Remarkably, this decrease was still present 1 week after diazepam withdrawal. Chronic diazepam treatment did not significantly affect hippocampal [3H]-5-HT release but after 21 days the K-evoked release of [14C]-GABA was more than doubled and remained elevated 30 h after withdrawal; it returned to control levels after 1 week, and decreased below control levels after 2 weeks. This study indicates that chronic diazepam treatment produces striking changes in transmitter release in rats that persist long after treatment has ceased.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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