Psychopharmacologia最新文献

Cortisone, aldosterone or nialamide was administered to adrenalectomized or sham-operated rats for 7 days, and methamphetamine was injected 24 hrs after the last injection of these compounds. Stereotyped head movement and licking activity were scored 5 min, 30 min and 60 min after methamphetamine injection and, in parallel brain methamphetamine levels in similarly treated rats were measured 5 min, 30 min and 60 min after the methamphetamine injection. Adrenalectomy depressed stereotyped head movements but enhanced the brain amphetamine accumulation. Nialamide but not the hormones further increased the amphetamine accumulation in adrenalectomized rats. No drugs had any effect on the amphetamine-induced head movement suppressed by adrenalectomy.

Low protein (LP) or low calorie (LC) dietary regimens were applied in early postnatal life(1st-40th day of life) in male rats. After nutritional rehabilitation, open-field behavior in larger more illuminated boxes (HI, high intensity stimulus), and smaller, less illuminated boxes (HI, high intensity stimulus), and smaller, less illuminated boxes (HI, high intensity stimulus), and smaller, less illuminated boxes (HI, high intensity stimulus), dyadic interactions, and learning ability were investigated in these animals as adults (between the 200th to 300th day of life). LP malnutrition induced an increase of open-field activity with features of sterotypy both in LI and HI situations, an increase number of intersignal reactions during learning procedures without changes in other registered criteria of learning ability (latency, number of correct responses), and an increase of aggressive behavior in pair interaction. LC rats revealed only significant inhibition in LI--open-field activity and a slightly increased number in intersignal reactions during avoidance learning. With the aim of preventing previously described long-term deviations in early malnourished rats, some groups of animals with the above-mentioned early calorie or protein deficits were treated with pyrithioxine (Encephabol Merck) or pyridoxine in 10 doses of 40 mg/kg i.p. administered in the period when nutritional rehabilitation was carried out (between the 40th--50th day of life). The treatment with pyrithioxine reduced significantly behavioral disturbances in adult LP rats except the increase of intersignal reactions which was even potentiated. Pyridoxine was less effective but normalized the increase number of intersignal reactions both in LP and LC rats. The effect of pyridoxine of adult LC rats was interesting. There was significant improvement in all registered parameters of avoidance learning and a significant increase of sexual acts was recorded.

A procedure for studing intravenous drug self-administration in the cat is described. Ten cats were given 24-h access to methamphetamine reinforcement (0.04 mg/kg/inj). The subjects maintained a significantly higher response rate for drug reinforcement than for saline. The pattern of self-administration over days alternated between periods of high and low drug intake. Six additional cats were used to study the effect of dose per injection on methamphetamine self-administration under conditions of limited access. When methamphetamine was subtituted at various doses per infusion in animals maintained on cocaine reinforcement, response rate was shown to be an inverted U-shaped function of dose. These studies demonstrate that methamphetamine is a reinforcer in the cat and its patterns of intake under conditions of 24-h and limited access resemble other species.

The course of active avoidance learning of rats in a symmetrical Y-maze under the influence of 1, 3, and 9 mg/kg of delta 9-THC i.p., and 5, 20, and mug/kg of LSD was investigated. Delta-THC in a dosage of 1 mg/kg had no effect on avoidance learning. Three to a lesser extent 9 mg/kg produced more rapid learning with a significantly better performance. Learning under delta 9-THC proved to be state-dependent. The withdrawal of delta 9-THC caused a decrease in the avoidance rate, which was dependent on the dosage. Upon renewal of the THC doses, the animals reattained their earlier preformance. In the course of the experiment there was rapid tolerance development, especially of the sedative properties of THC. LSD retarded the rate of acquisition of the active avoidance response. Whereas the control animals displayed over 80% successful active avoidance from the 14th session onwards, this was achieved by the LSD groups only after the 20th session. However, in contrast to the control group the LSD animals were able to increase their avoidance rate to over 90%, and this was maintained to the end of the experiment (a total of 24 sessions with LSD). The sudden withdrawal of LSD produced a fall in avoidance rate, which was dependent on the pervious training dosage; as with delta 9-THC state-dependent learning can also be assumed for LSD.

The effects of triiodothyronine (T3), T3 combined with propranolol, and propranolol alone on somatosensory evoked responses (SER) and EEG were studied in 2 groups each of 6 male volunteer subjects. The following results were obtained: (1) T3 increased SER amplitude during the first 100 ms after stimulus. (2) Addition of propranolol eliminated the SER amplitude increase resulting from T3 administration. (3) Neither T3 nor T3 plus propranolol significantly altered the mean level or the temporal variability of EEG amplitude and frequency. (4) There were no significant effects of propranolol alone on SER and EEG measures.

Following either variable-interval or fixed-interval training. 20 rats received both 0.5 and 2.0 mg/kg of amphetamine. For both schedules, amphetamine decrease response rates of high-rate subjects and increased those of low-rate subjects. Within-subject analysis of fixed-interval rates revealed the same rate-dependent effect. It is suggested that the between-subject and within-subject effects may have the same basis.

The effects of oral oxprenolol (320 mg) or propranolol (240 or 320 mg) and of diazepam (5 mg) or lorazepam (2 mg) on pursuit rotor performance, reaction time and critical flicker frequency were investigated in healthy subjects in 3 separate studies. A 240-mg dose of propranolol significantly impaired pursuit rotor performance but not 320 mg of propranolol or oxprenolol. Both beta-adrenoceptor blockers did not affect reaction time or critical flicker frequency. Diazepam impaired pursuit rotor performance and reaction time, but not critical flicker frequency. Lorazepam generally impaired all three parameters. The findings suggest that it is possible for beta-adrenoceptor blockers to depress skeletal muscle activity without having a central effect, as shown by impairment of CNS function tests which rely also on muscle coordination but not of those relying only on central activity. These results also show that single oral doses of oxprenolol or propranolol, as high as 320 mg, do not have central effects, and support the belief that small anxiolytic doses of these blockers exert their actions through peripheral blockade of beta-adrenoceptors.

Conditioned taste aversion for a 5% glucose solution (sugar water) was induced in rats by an i.p. injection of LiCl 30 min after the first presentation of sugar water. Extinction of conditioned taste aversion was measured either in the forced-drinking test or in the preference-drinking test. In the forced-drinking test sugar water was the only fluid presented to the animals during extinction sessions. In the preference-drinking test the animals had the choice of tap water or sugar water. The rate of extinction was much slower in the preference test. The ACTH-analogues, ACTH 4-10 and ACTH 4-10 7d Phe, and alpha-MSH delayed extinction in the preference test but not extinction in the forced-drinking test. ACTH 11-24 was without any effect. MSH-release inhibiting factor (MIF) facilitated extinction in the forced-drinking test but did not alter extinction in the preference test. The peptides did not affect intake of tap water of preference of sugar water over tap water by control rats.

Three groups of rats (A, B, C) were trained in a T-maze discriminate between drug-and control solution-induced internal discriminative stimuli. The drugs used to induce discriminative stimuli were: delta 9-THC, 5.0 mg/kg (Group A); ethanol, 1.2 g/kg (Group B), and amphetamine, 1.0 mg/kg(Group C). After discrimination acquisition several drugs were tested for generalization in each group. Group A was tested with delta 8-THC, CBD, CBN, ethanol, pentobarbital,chlorpromazine, amphetamine, and apomorphine; only delta8-THC and CBN induced delta9-THC-like responses. Group B was tested with delta 9-THC, delta 8-THC, CBD, CBN, pentobarbital, and amphetamine; pentobarbital induced ethanol-like response. Group C was tested with delta 9-THC, apomorphine, and ethanol; delta 9-THC and apomorphine elicited amphetamine-like responses.

Morphine dependent rats that underwent naloxone-precipitated withdrawal in the presence of both gustatory and audiovisual stimuli subsequently avoided the taste cue, but not the audiovisual one. All environmental stimuli do not associate equally with withdrawal in the rat. The role of stimulus factors should be investigated in other forms of narcotic-related conditioning.