Behavioral effects and pharmacokinetics of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) precursors gamma-butyrolacton

 Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD) are prodrugs for gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). Like GHB, GBL and 1,4-BD are drugs of abuse, but their behavioral effects may differ from GHB under some conditions. Objectives The first study compared the behavioral effects of GBL (32−240 mg/kg) and 1,4-BD (32−240 mg/kg) with each other and to effects previously reported for GHB (32−420 mg/kg). A second study determined GHB pharmacokinetics following intragastric administration of GHB, GBL, and 1,4-BD. Methods Operant responding for food, observed behavioral effects, and a fine-motor task occurred at multiple time intervals after administration of drug or vehicle. In a separate pharmacokinetics study, blood samples were collected across multiple time points after administration of GHB, GBL, and 1,4-BD. Results Like GHB, GBL, and 1,4-BD impaired performance on the fine-motor task, but the onset of motor impairment differed across drugs. GBL and 1,4-BD dose...