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  • Title: Behavioural and anti-psychotic effects of Ca2+ channel blockers in rhesus monkey.
    Author: Palit G, Kalsotra A, Kumar R, Nath C, Dubey MP.
    Journal: Eur J Pharmacol; 2001 Jan 26; 412(2):139-44. PubMed ID: 11165225.
    Abstract:
    The potential utility of Ca2+ channel blockers in the treatment of various psychiatric disorders has been recently suggested. In the present study, the behavioural and anti-psychotic effects of Ca2+ channel blockers were investigated in unrestrained rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) living together in a colony. The different behaviours categorised as social, solitary and abnormal were video recorded and analysed. Graded doses of verapamil (5-20 mg/kg, i.m.) and nimodipine (7.5-30 mg/kg, p.o.) produced a mild decrease in social and solitary behaviour without producing any cataleptic posture in the tested monkeys. In order to determine potential antipsychotic effects, Ca2+ channel blockers were studied in the model of amphetamine-induced psychosis. Amphetamine, at the dose of 2 mg/kg, i.m., induced suppression of approach, contact, grooming, and feeding, whilst vigilance (checking), stereotyped behaviour and oral hyperkinesia were increased in the monkeys. Pre-treatment with verapamil (10 and 20 mg/kg, i.m.) significantly suppressed amphetamine-induced hypervigilance, stereotypy, oral hyperkinesia and tachypnoea but was unable to reverse other amphetamine-induced behavioural effects. Nimodipine showed insignificant anti-psychotic effects at both 15 and 30 mg/kg doses. These results suggest that verapamil has a definite antipsychotic effect without any extrapyramidal side effects and thus may be of clinical significance in the treatment of psychosis.
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