Chronic intermittent treatment with Clozapine: implications for development of vacuous chewing movements and electrical kindling

Abstract

Intermittent treatment of rats with clozapine in two difTerent doses for 16 weeks did neither result in sensitization of oral activity nor in facilitation of seizure development in electrical kindling. The lack of development of dyskinetic mouth movements concerts with clinical experience, Cross-sensitivity between development of dyskinetic mouth movements following longlasting intermittent treatment of rats with haloperidol and electrical amygdala kindling has previously been demonstrated. The findings in this study contradict that eross-sensitivity between intermittent treatment with classical antipsychotie drugs and electrical amygdala kindling is the result of the lowering of seizure threshold of antipsychotie drugs. Instead the present results support the hypothesis of common pathogenetic mechanisms in the development of persisting increases in oral activity and in electrical amygdala kindling.