Effect of chronic administration of alprazolam and adinazolam on clonidine- or apomorphine-induced aggression in laboratory rodents.

The activity of chronic (3 weeks) treatment with the triazolobenzodiazepines, alprazolam and adinazolam, on clonidine- and apomorphine-induced aggression were studied. Adinazolam, like desipramine, potentiated aggression induced by clonidine while diazepam and alprazolam completely abolished it. In the apomorphine-induced aggression, adinazolam suppressed both aggressivity and stereotypy, while diazepam slightly potentiated it. Alprazolam did not modify the effect of aggression induced by apomorphine. On the whole, while adinazolam seemed to develop an activity closer to that of a classical antidepressant like desipramine, alprazolam appeared to be more similar to the benzodiazepines on clonidine-induced aggression in mice. Compared to desipramine and diazepam, adinazolam left these two effects induced by apomorphine almost unchanged. The experiments performed showed differences between the profiles of action of the two triazolobenzodiazepines studied.