Caffeine withdrawal retains anticataleptic activity but Withania somnifera withdrawal potentiates haloperidol-induced catalepsy in mice

The previous study showed that chronic treatment wilh Wíthania somnifera extract (WS) inhibited haloperidol-induced catalepsy. It is suggestedt hat caffeine and WS may be useful adjuvants in pharmacotherapy of Parkinson's disease. There are no studies on the effect of haloperidol on mice withdrawn from caffeine or W. somnifera. We therefore studied the effect of a single administration of standardised WS containin s.5.l% total withanolides (WS, 30 or 100 mg kg-' i.p.) and/or caffeine (3mgkg-'ì.p.) and withdrawal from 6 days treatment with WS and/or caffeine, on haloperidol-induced catalepsy in albino mice. Single administration of both WS and caffeine, used either alone or in combinatìon, signihcantly inhibited catalepsy. Mice withdrawn from caffeine significantly inhibited haloperidol-induced catalepsy, but mice withdrawn from WS showed increased catalepsy. The study indicated that withdrawal from WS does not retain anticataleptic activity, and caffeine but not WS may be a good adjuvant in pharmacotherapy of Parkinson's diseas