Blockade of phencyclidine-induced effects by a nitric oxide donor

1 Phencyclidine (PCP) is widely used as an animal model of schizophrenia. T he aim of this study was to better understand the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the mechanism of action of PCP and to determine whether positive NO mod ulators may provide a new approach to the treatment of schizophrenia. 2 The effects of the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), were studied in PCP-treated rats. Following drug administration, behavioural changes and th e expression of c-fos, a metabolic marker of functional pathways in the bra in, were simultaneously monitored. 3 Acute PCP (5 mg kg(-1), i.p.) treatment induced a complex behavioural syn drome, consisting of hyperlocomotion, stereotyped behaviours and ataxia. Tr eatment with SNP (2-6 mg kg(-1), i.p.) by itself produced no effect on any behaviour studied but completely abolished PCP-induced behaviour in a dose- and time-dependent manner. 4 PCP had differential regional effects on c-fos expression in rat brain, s uggesting regionally different patterns of neuronal activity. The most prom inent immunostaining was observed in the cortical regions. Pre-treatment wi th SNP blocked PCP-induced c-fos expression at doses similar to those that suppress PCP-induced behavioural effects. 5 These results implicate the NO system in the mechanism of action of PCP. The fact that SNP abolished effects of PCP suggests that drugs targeting th e glutamate-NO system may represent a novel approach to the treatment of PC P-induced psychosis and schizophrenia.