ISSN:
1432-2072
Keywords:
Key words Zolpidem
;
Benzodiazepine
;
Hypnotic
;
Recurrent inhibition
;
GABA
;
Hippocampus
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract It has been reported that the clinical and electroencephalographic profiles of zolpidem, a non-benzodiazepine drug which binds preferentially to the ω1 benzodiazepine recognition sites located within the GABAA receptor complex, are different from those of benzodiazepine drugs, which bind non-selectively to the ω1 and ω2 sites. In order to clarify the electrophysiological mechanism underlying the unique profile of zolpidem, the present study compared the enhancing effects of zolpidem and two benzodiazepine drugs, triazolam and diazepam, on recurrent inhibition. This inhibition was expressed as suppression of the orthodromically induced population spikes by the preceding antidromic stimulation of the alveus in the CA1 region of rat hippocampal slices. The rank order of potency for enhancing recurrent inhibition was triazolam 〉 diazepam 〉 zolpidem. From the present results and previously reported findings that zolpidem has a lower affinity for the ω2 sites than diazepam while both have the same affinity for the ω1 sites, we concluded that the hippocampal recurrent inhibition appears to be enhanced mainly by activation of the ω2 sites, but not by that of the ω1 sites. Furthermore, the lower potency of zolpidem for enhancing recurrent inhibition may underlie its unique profile in terms of its clinical and electroencephalographic effects.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s002130050308
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