부산대학교 도서관

Daily treatment for 10 days with 20㎎/㎏ imipramine and 10㎎/㎏ ethaverine reduced the immobilization time in the behavioral despair test in rats. However, 10㎎/㎏ verapamil did not reduce it significantly. It was suggested that ethaverine concomitantly administered potentiated the long-term effect of imipramine on the reduction of the immobilization time. In a half of those rats (3/6) which had been repeatedly treated with both 20㎎/㎏ imipramine and 10㎎/㎏ ethaverine, vigorous swimming was observed during most of the test time despite no increased motor activity in an open field observation. In a second experiment, ethaverine exhibited the tendency of dose-dependent reduction of the immobilization time. In conclusion, the data suggest that ethaverine has a anti-immobility effect in the behavioral despair test in rats and that it can be useful in potentiating the antidepressant effect of imipramine clinically.