Modification of depressant and disinhibitory action of flurazepam during short term treatment in the rat

Employing a fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement (temporal discrimination), alternated punished (fixed-ratio) and unpunished (variable-ratio) schedules of reinforcement, a Conditioned Avoidance Response, and studying its interaction with Pentobarbital on general anaesthesia, it has been shown that flurazepam hydrochloride after a single treatment induces very intense depressant effects and slight disinhibitory effects. Short term treatment at longer than daily intervals reduces the depressant effect and unmasks the disinhibitory effect. The phenomenon is probably caused by selective tolerance concerning the depressant action. The results are discussed from the point of view of the signi…