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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

Comparison of the addiction potential of dexmedetomidine and propofol using conditioned place preference and locomotor sensitization

Comparison of the addiction potentials of dexmedetomidine and propofol through conditioned place preference and locomotor sensitization

Both dexmedetomidine and propofol induced conditioned place preference in rats, but only propofol produced marked locomotor sensitization; the effects of dexmedetomidine were mediated by the opioidergic pathway, whereas those of propofol were mediated by the nitrergic pathway.

The study aimed to compare the addiction potential of dexmedetomidine and propofol, agents frequently used for preanesthetic medication, in rats using conditioned place preference (CPP) and locomotor sensitization models, and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. In adult male Wistar albino rats (250–300 g), the effects of different doses of the two agents on CPP and locomotor sensitization, measured using open-field locomotor activity tests, were evaluated. The role of the opioidergic pathway in the effects of dexmedetomidine was investigated using naloxone, while the effects of propofol on the nitrergic pathway were examined using the nonselective nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Dexmedetomidine induced CPP in rats at a level comparable to that induced by morphine, and this effect was reversed by naloxone. Propofol also induced CPP, and this effect was reversed by L-NAME. In locomotor sensitization tests, dexmedetomidine did not induce significant sensitization, whereas propofol produced marked locomotor sensitization, which was significantly inhibited by L-NAME. In conclusion, although dexmedetomidine appears to have a lower addiction potential than propofol, clinicians are advised to consider the addiction risk associated with both agents in clinical practice.

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