The behavioral pharmacology of zolpidem: evidence for the functional significance of alpha1-containing GABA(A) receptors.

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Fitzgerald AC, Wright BT, Heldt SA

The behavioral pharmacology of zolpidem: evidence for the functional significance of alpha1-containing GABA(A) receptors.

Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2014 May;231(9):1865-96. doi: 10.1007/s00213-014-3457-x. Epub 2014 Feb 22.

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24563183 [ View in PubMed
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Abstract

RATIONALE: Zolpidem is a positive allosteric modulator of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) with preferential binding affinity and efficacy for alpha1-subunit containing GABA(A) receptors (alpha1-GABA(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 alpha1-GABA(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 alpha1-GABA(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 alpha1-GABA(A)Rs play partial roles in the hypnotic, EEG sleep, anticonvulsant effects, and anxiolytic-like of zolpidem and diazepam. These studies also indicate that alpha1-GABA(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(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.

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