Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27356519›Full record

ArticlePsychopharmacology2016

Benzodiazepine and neuroactive steroid combinations in rats: anxiolytic-like and discriminative stimulus effects.

Barak W Gunter, Sherman A Jones, Ian A Paul, Donna M Platt, James K Rowlett

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Psychopharmacology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 29% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. The Actions of Drug Combinations on the GABAMolecular pharmacology · 2017
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Barak W GunterDepartment of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA.
Sherman A JonesDepartment of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA.
Ian A PaulDepartment of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA.
Donna M PlattDepartment of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA.
James K RowlettDepartment of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA. jrowlett@umc.edu.
Jackson Memorial Hospital · USState Street (United States) · USUniversity of Mississippi Medical Center · US

Funding

ANXIOLYTIC EFFECTS AND ABUSE OF BZ RECEPTOR LIGANDSR01DA011792 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MED CTR · PI ROWLETT, JAMES K · 1998 to 2024
$7.8M
Center for Psychiatric NeuroscienceP30GM103328 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MED CTR · PI STOCKMEIER, CRAIG ALLEN · 2013 to 2017
$5.5M
GABAa receptor subtype mechanisms in nonhuman primatesR01AA016179 · NIAAA · UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MED CTR · PI PLATT, DONNA M · 2006 to 2016
$3.2M
Neurosteroid-BZ combinations: Strategy for reducing abuse and sedationR01DA033795 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MED CTR · PI ROWLETT, JAMES K · 2012 to 2016
$2.4M
NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA016179NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA011792NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA033795NIGMS NIH HHS P30 GM103328
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

rationaleBenzodiazepines are effective anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants but unwanted side effects, including abuse potential, limit their use. A possible strategy to increase the therapeutic index of this drug class is to combine benzodiazepines with neuroactive steroids.

objectivesThe present study evaluated the extent to which combinations of benzodiazepines (triazolam, clonazepam) and neuroactive steroids (pregnanolone, ganaxolone) induced additive, supra-additive, or infra-additive effects in an elevated zero maze and a drug discrimination procedure in rats.

methodsMale Sprague-Dawley rats (N = 7/group) were placed into an elevated zero maze apparatus following injections of multiple doses of triazolam and pregnanolone, alone and combined, or clonazepam and ganaxolone, alone and combined. These drugs/drug combinations also were evaluated in rats (N = 8) trained to discriminate triazolam (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.) from vehicle. Drug interactions were evaluated using isobolographic and dose-addition analysis.

resultsIn the elevated zero maze, all drugs engendered dose-dependent increases in time spent in the open quadrant when administered alone. Triazolam and pregnanolone, as well as clonazepam and ganaxolone combinations produced additive or supra-additive effects depending on the fixed-proportion that was tested. In triazolam discrimination, all drugs engendered dose-dependent increases in triazolam-lever responding. In combination, triazolam and pregnanolone and clonazepam and ganaxolone produced predominantly additive discriminative stimulus effects, except for one fixed proportion of clonazepam and ganaxolone which had supra-additive effects.

conclusionsAlthough drug interactions depended on the constituent drugs, the combination tested, and the behavioral endpoint; a combination was identified that would be predicted to result in supra-additive anxiolytic-like effects with predominantly additive discriminative stimulus effects.

Indexed as

AnestheticsAnimalsAnti-Anxiety AgentsAnxietyBehavior, AnimalClonazepamDiscrimination LearningDrug InteractionsHypnotics and SedativesMalePregnanoloneRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyTriazolamAnestheticsAnti-Anxiety AgentsClonazepamganaxoloneHypnotics and SedativesPregnanoloneTriazolamAnxiolysisBenzodiazepineDrug discriminationElevated zero mazeGABAA receptorNeuroactive steroid

Identifiers

PMID27356519
PMCPMC6334648
OpenAlexW2464870227

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.