Effects of prenatal exposure to benzodiazepine-related drugs on early development and adult social behaviour in Swiss mice--III. Inverse agonists.

1. The present experiment examined, using a battery of tests, the effects of in utero exposure to the benzodiazepine inverse agonists DMCM and FG 7142 upon the early development and adult behaviour of Swiss Mice. 2. Early development was respectively retarded and augmented by treatments with the higher and lower doses of DMCM. FG 7142 suppressed later development. DMCM retarded righting reflex on certain days. FG 7142 had a significant, biphasic effect on eye opening. 3. Adult social behaviour was examined using the resident-intruder paradigm, by determining the time spent in broad behavioural categories. Male offspring of dams treated with DMCM showed increased threat. FG 7142 had no significant effects.