A screening procedure for barbital type physical dependence liability of psychotropic drugs

Abstract

Mice were made physically dependent on barbital with 10 days treatment then were utilized for the single dose suppression test and the 2 days substitution test. The relative potency of the drugs substituted for barbital was computed using a scoring system specifically designed to quantify withdrawal behavioral signs in barbital dependent mice and the dependence liability of the drugs was judged by contrasting the potency with the nonspecific CNS depressant effect, estimated as the inhibitory effect on the rotarod adaptability of naive mice. In addition, loss of body wt. during withdrawal was confirmed to be a reliable sign of abstinence. © 1973, The Japanese Pharmacological Society. All rights reserved.