Effects of chlordiazepoxide and of valproate on hyponeophagia in rats. Evidence for a mutual antagonism between their anxiolytic properties.

The effects of chlordiazepoxide (0,2.5 and 7.5 mg/kg), of valproate (0,100 and 300 mg/kg), and of combinations of these drugs, on hyponeophagia in rats, were studied using a food preference test. Chlordiazepoxide alone reduced the latency for eating, and also enhanced the time of eating and the amount of familiar food eaten at the smaller dose, and of novel food eaten at the larger dose. Valproate alone reduced the latency of eating and enhanced time of eating and the amount of novel food eaten, especially at 300 mg/kg. However, valproate antagonised the effects of chlordiazepoxide on all behavioural measures. These findings are discussed in the context of the GABA hypothesis of the actions of benzodiazepines, with the conclusion that valproate has an atypical pharmacological profile amongst putative GABA agonists, and may have partial agonist activity at the proposed benzodiazepine/GABA receptor complex.