Modafinil evokes striatal [ 3H]dopamine release and alters the subjective properties of stimulants

Abstract

Modafinil is a mild psychostimulant used for the treatment of sleep and arousal-related disorders, and has been considered a pharmacotherapy for cocaine and amphetamine dependence; however, modafinil's mechanism of action is largely unclear. The present study investigated modafinil using drug discrimination and slice superfusion techniques. Rats were trained to discriminate cocaine (1.6 or 5 mg/kg) or amphetamine (0.3 mg/kg) from saline injection for food reinforcement. Modafinil (64–128 mg/kg) substituted partially for both cocaine doses and amphetamine. Pretreatment with a lower modafinil dose (32 mg/kg) augmented the discriminative stimulus properties of cocaine (1.6 mg/kg dose group) and amphetamine. In neurochemical experiments, modafinil (100–300 μM) evoked [ 3H]overflow from rat striatal slices preloaded with [ 3H]dopamine in a concentration-dependent manner; however, modafinil was less potent and efficacious than amphetamine and nicotine. The dopamine transporter inhibitor nomifensine (10 μM) blocked modafinil-evoked [ 3H]overflow, and concentrations of modafinil (< 100 μM) that did not have intrinsic activity attenuated amphetamine (1 and 3 μM)-evoked [ 3H]overflow. Modafinil-evoked [ 3H]overflow was not altered by the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist mecamylamine, and modafinil did not alter nicotine-evoked [ 3H]overflow, indicating that nicotinic acetylcholine receptors likely are not important for modafinil's mechanism of action. The present results indicate that modafinil evokes dopamine release from striatal neurons and is a psychostimulant that is pharmacologically similar to, but much less potent and efficacious than, amphetamine.