Effects of chronic and acute treatment of antipsychotic drugs on calmodulin release from rat striatal membranes

Abstract

Chronic treatment of rats with the antipsychotic drugs haloperidol and (+)-butaclamol results in supersensitivity of striatal dopamine (DA) receptors. Striatal membranes of these animals have an increased content of an endogenous Ca -binding protein, calmodulin. Both endogenous and protein kinase-induced release of calmodulin from striatal membranes of the antipsychotic drug-treated animals were found substantially lower than that from saline or (-)-butaclamol-treated rats. Acute treatment with the antipsychotic drugs produced no alterations in calmodulin content or calmodulin release from the membranes. The impaired calmodulin release seen in the chronic antipsychotic drug-treated rats could be associated with the supersensitivity of DA receptors.