Acute and chronic effects of haloperidol on plasma and brain homovanillic acid in the rat.

The effects of acute and chronic administration of haloperidol on homovanillic acid (HVA) in plasma and the brain were examined in the rat. Acute haloperidol treatment (1 mg/kg) resulted in highly significant elevations in HVA within 30 min and produced a maximal increase of HVA in 3-6 hr in both plasma and the whole brain. The response of brain HVA to increasing doses (0.05-30 mg/kg) of haloperidol showed an inverted U pattern. Plasma HVA showed a very flat response to lower doses (less than or equal to 5 mg/kg) of haloperidol and a dramatically elevated one to higher doses (greater than or equal to 10 mg/kg). Haloperidol produced a parallel increase in plasma and brain HVA at lower doses (less than or equal to 2 mg/kg) only. After chronic administration of haloperidol for up to 28 days, the response of HVA in plasma correlated mainly with, but tolerated later than, those in the whole brain and the olfactory tubercle.