Tolerance to the discriminative stimulus effects of midazolam: evidence for environmental modification and dose fading

The ability of behavioral variables to modify the development of tolerance to the discriminative stimulus effects of midazolam was evaluated. Rats were trained to discriminate 0.32mg/kg s.c. or 1.0mg/kg i.p. midazolam from no-drug, under a two-lever procedure, in daily experimental sessions consisting of multiple discrete 20-min trials: 15-min time-out, followed by 5-min under a fixed-ratio 15 schedule of food pellet delivery. Generalization testing was accomplished by administering progressively increasing doses of midazolam before each time-out period. During the chronic phases, twice daily injections of 10mg/kg midazolam or saline were given while discrimination training was either suspended or continued; generalization gradients for midazolam were determined weekly for 4 weeks. Chronic saline given when training was continued or suspended produced slight fluctuations in the midazolam minimal discriminable dose (MDD) (the first dose of midazolam in an individual generalization gradient to produce >/=90% drug-lever responding). Tolerance developed to the discriminative stimulus effects of midazolam when chronic midazolam was given while training was suspended: at Week 4, chronic midazolam produced 3-to 57-fold rightward shifts in the midazolam generalization gradient. In contrast, continued training during chronic midazolam produced no tolerance to the discriminative stimulus effects of midazolam: at Week 4 of chronic midazolam the MDD of midazolam was not different from pre-chronic and not different from either saline condition. The effects of chronic midazolam on stimulus effects and response rates were differentiated: despite tolerance to the stimulus effects of midazolam, there were no consistent changes in response rates during chronic midazolam administration.