The role of GABA_B receptors in the discriminative stimulus effects of γ-hydroxybutyrate in rats: Time course and antagonism studies

γ-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a neurotransmitter in brain and an emerging drug of abuse, although its mechanism of action is poorly understood. This study characterized the role of GABA_A, GABA_B, and other receptors in the discriminative stimulus effects of GHB. Eight rats reliably discriminated 200 mg/kg GHB from saline after a median of 35 (range: 23-41) training sessions. GHB, a metabolic precursor 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BDL), and the GABA_B agonist (±)baclofen all occasioned greater than 83% responding on the GHB lever. The onset of action was similar for GHB and 1,4-BDL; however, 1,4-BDL exhibited a longer duration of action than GHB. The GHB precursor γ-butyrolactone, the benzodiazepine diazepam, the neuroactive steroid pregnanolone, the opioid agonist morphine, and the N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist ketamine elicited substantial GHB-appropriate responding, although none occasioned greater than 66% drug-lever responding. The barbiturate pentobarbital and the GABA_A receptor agonist muscimol did not occasion greater than 17% drug-lever responding at any dose tested. The benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil attenuated GHB-lever responding occasioned by diazepam, but not GHB. The GABA_B receptor antagonist CGP 35348 antagonized GHB-lever responding occasioned by baclofen or GHB. Small doses of the purported GHB receptor antagonist (2E)-(5-hydroxy- 5,7,8,9-tetrahydro-6H-benzo[a][7]annulen-6-ylidene ethanoic acid (NCS-382) attenuated partially the effects of GHB, whereas larger doses of NCS-382 alone occasioned partial GHB-lever responding. These results implicate GABA_B mechanisms in the discriminative stimulus effects of GHB and further suggest that the effects of 1,4-BDL under these conditions result from its conversion to GHB. That NCS-382 shares effects with GHB could explain the lack of antagonism reported for NCS-382 in some studies.