Determining the Effects of Donepezil in Psychotic Disorders Using Swiss Albino Mice

Several antipsychotic medications are being used to treat schizophrenia as a psychotic illness. Donepezil, a medication for Alzheimer's disease that enhances cognition, is now approved. We therefore attempted to evaluate its significance for the mouse methylphenidate-induced psychosis models.
To induce psychosis in Swiss albino mice (n=6), 5 mg/kg methylphenidate was administered intraperitoneally (i.p). Donepezil was given at a dose of 1 mg/kg alone and in combination with 0.1 mg/kg haloperidol, and groups were compared with haloperidol 0.2 mg/kg. Donepezil's activity was also evaluated using the haloperidol-induced catalepsy test. ANOVA was used for statistical analysis, followed by the Bonferroni's test.
Methylphenidate, like amphetamine, successfully induced stereotypic behaviour in mice. Donepezil 1 mg/kg and haloperidol 0.2 mg/kg both significantly reduced stereotypy behaviour, with no statistically significant difference (p<0.05). Donepezil's effects were only marginally inferior to standard, while its combination (1 mg/kg with haloperidol 0.1 mg/kg) produced comparable results to standard haloperidol. Donepezil had only marginally enhanced potential to induce catatonia which was statistically insignificant (p>0.05).
Inducing psychosis in animals with methylphenidate is successful, and donepezil appears to have promise as an adjunctive treatment for antipsychotics.