Influence of aripiprazole on the antidepressant, anxiolytic and cognitive functions of rats

Abstract

Recent research has suggested that cognitive disorders are a persistent trait of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. Cognitive deficits in the course of schizophrenia may be due to the disease and/or drug therapy, especially with old-generation drugs. Several clinical experiments have indicated the beneficial effects of new-generation antipsychotics on cognitive processes in patients treated for mental disorders. Aripiprazole is a new, atypical antipsychotic with a unique mechanism of action, which may have positive effects on cognitive functions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aripiprazole on spatial memory in the Morris water maze and antidepressant activity in the Porsolt test. In addition, we examined whether aripiprazole had any side effects in the chimney test. The behavioral tests showed that aripiprazole improved spatial memory in rats and had antidepressant and anxiolytic effects after a single treatment; however, aripiprazole impaired motor coordination after repeated administration. We concluded that aripiprazole could be an effective antipsychotic for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder who have associated anxiety and cognitive deficits.

Arylpiperazinylalkyl derivatives of 8-amino-1,3-dimethylpurine-2,6-dione as novel multitarget 5-HT/D receptor agents with potential antipsychotic activity

“…Among the evaluated compounds, weak 5-HT 7 R antagonistic properties were observed in the case of 34 (Table 5). Taking into account the functional profile, the evaluated compounds corresponded to aripiprazole which exerts not only partial dopaminergic activity but also a 5-HT 1A and 5-HT 2C receptor partial agonist and 5-HT 2A and 5-HT 7 antagonist and this mechanism of action may contribute to its broad efficacyantipsychotic, antidepressant, and anxiolytic [53][54][55] . Moreover, among the evaluated compounds, 43 and 46 showed 5-HT 6 antagonistic properties (IC 50 values ¼ 676 and 847 nM, respectively) ( Table 5).…”

Evaluating The Antidepressant Efficacy of Aripiprazole Using a Chronic Mild Stress Model: An Experimental Study

“…In experimental studies with different depression models, aripiprazole has been found to have antidepressant effects in rats 29,30 . Burada et al found that 6 mg/kg aripiprazole treatment decreased immobility time in rats.…”

“…Burada et al found that 6 mg/kg aripiprazole treatment decreased immobility time in rats. In the same study they used the forced swimming test 29 . In this study, a single dose did not reduce immobility time in rats, however chronic administration of 7 and 14 days was successful in reducing this period.…”

“…In metaanalyses of two placebo controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of aripiprazole as monotherapy in bipolar depression, aripiprazole was found to be superior to placebo in the1st and 6 th weeks but no difference was detected in week 8 28 . It has been reported that aripiprazole has s h o w n a n t i d e p r e s s a n t e f f i c a c y w h e n administered alone to animals 29 . In animal studies, aripiprazole was found out to enhance antidepressant activity when administered with antidepressants except for bupropion and desipramine 30 .…”

Differential behavioral profile induced by the injection of dipotassium chlorazepate within brain areas that project to the nucleus accumbens septi

“…Its role has been highlighted in the response to acute [56] as well as chronic [59] stress. However, some additional structures and systems appear to modulate or participate in anxiety processes [10,55,58]. It is the case of nucleus accumbens septi (NAS) that has been involved in anxiety processes by us and another group [38,44,45].…”