Interpretation of changes in apomorphine-induced stereotyped behaviour in rats receiving continuous administration of trifluorperazine for 15 months.

Rats treated continuously with trifluoperazine dihydrochloride (4.4-4.9 mg/kg per day) for 15 months showed an exaggerated stereotyped response to large doses of apomorphine (1.0 mg/kg, s.c.), but inhibition of stereotyped behaviour by a small dose of apomorphine (0.125 mg/kg, s.c.) as compared to responses obtained in age-matched control animals. Apomorphine (0.03-1.0 mg/kg, s.c.) produced more hyperactivity in trifluoperazine-treated rats than in control animals. After withdrawal of the drug for a period of 2 weeks or more, the stereotyped responses to all doses of apomorphine (0.0625-0.5 mg/kg, s.c.) were exaggerated in animals treated with trifluoperazine compared with age-matched control rats. Acute administration of trifluoperazine (4.5 mg/kg, p.o., 3 hr previously) to animals withdrawn from trifluoperazine abolished the stereotyped behaviour induced by a small dose of apomorphine (0.125 mg/kg) but a maximal response still was obtained with large doses (1.0 mg/kg). In contrast, acute challenge with trifluoperazine (4.5 mg/kg, p.o.) in control animals inhibited the stereotyped behaviour at virtually all doses of apomorphine, as compared with the responses to apomorphine in both animals withdrawn from trifluoperazine, given the same treatment, and naive control rats. Administration of trifluoperazine (0.28 and 0.56 mg/kg, p.o.) inhibited stereotypy induced by small doses of apomorphine (0.125 mg/kg, s.c.) in control animals but the response in animals withdrawn from trifluoperazine was exaggerated. Larger doses of trifluoperazine (1.125-4.5 mg/kg) totally inhibited apomorphine-induced (0.125 mg/kg, s.c.) stereotypy in both groups. These findings do not support the concept of separate mechanisms controlling low grade and high grade stereotyped behaviour during chronic treatment with neuroleptics.