Am J Psychiatry 1989; 146:1044-1047
Copyright © 1989 by American Psychiatric Association
Imipramine and alprazolam treatment of lactate-induced acute endogenous distress in nonhuman primates
G Sunderland, S Friedman and LA Rosenblum
Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York Health Science Center, Brooklyn.
The authors studied the response of 10 macaque monkeys to administration of
sodium lactate, a panicogenic agent used in human panic disorder research,
after treatment with the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine, the
triazolobenzodiazepine alprazolam, or placebo. Both drugs effectively
blocked the lactate-induced acute endogenous distress responses that had
been reliably observed in the monkeys before drug treatment. Only
alprazolam significantly reduced the occurrence of conditioned situational
anxiety responses observed in the home cage. The alprazolam monkeys
appeared to be sedated compared to the imipramine and placebo groups, and
tremor and temporary exacerbation of anxious behaviors were observed during
alprazolam withdrawal.
