Effects of diazepam on body temperature of the aged squirrel monkey.

Hypothermia was produced by IM administration of diazepam (0.125-0.5 mg/kg) to squirrel monkeys of various ages (2-16 years) in a thermoneutral (23 +/- 0.5 degrees C) environment with animals over eight years of age having slightly greater responses. Hypothermia caused by an intermediate dose (0.25 mg/kg) was augmented in a cold environment (15 degrees C), especially in the older animals. There was no marked alteration in the temperature change/age regression after 0.25 mg/kg diazepam in a hot environment (30 degrees C) compared with the control response. Injections of diazepam (1.25-5.0 microgram) into the lateral cerebral ventricle in a thermoneutral environment produced hyperthermia rather than hypothermia in all animals, and the magnitude of the induced hyperthermia was smaller in older monkeys. The results support previous case reports in man and suggest that this commonly used drug can induce hypothermia, especially in older primates exposed to cold. The drug action responsible for this temperature change appears to take place peripherally rather than within the brain.