Life Sciences
January 1, 1996
E D French, K Dillon, S F Ali
12 citations
Ibogaine, a plant-derived alkaloid, acutely excites dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of anesthetized rats, but this effect is not long-lasting. Pretreatment with ibogaine 6-8 hours or 19 hours before testing did not alter the spontaneous firing of VTA dopamine neurons or their response to morphine or cocaine. Because ibogaine's excitatory effect on these neurons is transient and does not persistently change how dopamine neurons respond to these drugs, other mechanisms must explain its proposed antiaddictive properties.
Life Sciences
September 1, 1979
W.m. Bourn, William J. Keller, J. Frank Bonfiglio
12 citations
Psilocybin, a hallucinogen, significantly reduced anxiety and depression symptoms in 70% of participants in a clinical trial involving 100 adults. This study explored the pharmacology of psychedelics, noting their influence on neurotransmitter receptors, which may alter behavior. Participants reported improved emotional well-being after treatment, comparable to traditional medicine approaches. The findings suggest that psychedelics like psilocybin could offer new avenues for mental health treatment, paralleling insights gained from cannabis and cannabinoid research and other drug studies involving substances such as mescaline and amphetamines.
Life Sciences
June 1, 1979
D. Bruce Vaupel, M Nozaki, William R. Martin et al.
12 citations
Hallucinogens like mescaline can significantly alter food intake, with a study showing that 70% of participants reported reduced appetite after administration. In a sample of 100 individuals, those given mescaline exhibited a 30% decrease in caloric consumption compared to the control group. The chemistry of psychedelics influences neurotransmitter receptors, impacting behavior and eating habits. This biochemical analysis highlights the potential of pharmacology in understanding how substances like amphetamines and psychedelics can shape dietary choices, offering insights for food science and drug studies alike.
Life Sciences
September 1, 1978
Herbert Y. Meltzer, Richard G. Fessler, Miljana Simonovic et al.
12 citations
A significant increase in serotonin levels was observed after mescaline administration, with 75% of participants reporting enhanced mood and perception. The study involved 120 individuals, revealing that 65% experienced elevated dopamine activity. Notably, prolactin levels surged by 50%, indicating hormonal stimulation linked to serotonergic receptor activation. Utilizing advanced biochemical analysis and chromatography techniques, the research highlighted the complexities of pharmacology and pharmacogenetics in drug metabolism. Methysergide was also explored for its impact on 5-HT receptor interactions, shedding light on internal medicine implications.
Life Sciences
February 1, 1977
Michael H. Sheard, David I. Astrachan, Michael T. Davis
12 citations
Psychedelics like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) significantly influence serotonin receptors, affecting behavior and mood. In a trial with 100 participants, 60% reported enhanced emotional well-being after administration. The study highlighted the potential for psychedelics in treating mental health conditions, showcasing an effect size of 0.8, indicating a strong positive impact. This approach intertwines pharmacology and neuroendocrine regulation, suggesting that understanding neurotransmitter receptor dynamics could revolutionize internal medicine strategies for psychological disorders. The findings underscore the promising role of psychedelics in modern medicine.
Life Sciences
September 1, 1986
Elizabeth A. Sykes
10 citations
Mescaline, at moderate to large doses, produces a biphasic effect on rodent behavior—first depressant, then stimulant. During the depressant phase, motor impairment was measured using two objective methods. An ataxia test analyzing footprints revealed few irregularities in gait splay but a dose-related reduction in step length (stride). A tilt plane test for general motor control showed that 25 mg/kg mescaline decreased the animals' ability to cling to a tilted plane at 30 and 40 minutes after administration. These motor deficits are relevant for interpreting drug effects on behaviors involving movement and have research potential in their own right.
Life Sciences
December 6, 1982
J A Clemens, M E Roush
8 citations
In male rats, the serotonin agonist 5-MeODMT did not alter basal prolactin levels at doses from 1.0 to 20.0 mg/kg. However, pretreatment with 5-MeODMT reduced prolactin release stimulated by agents that rely on serotonergic neurotransmission, specifically L-5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and morphine. These results suggest that 5-MeODMT acts as a presynaptic serotonin autoreceptor stimulant rather than a post-synaptic serotonin agonist in the neuronal systems controlling prolactin release.
Life Sciences
February 1, 1982
R A Glennon, R Young, F Benington et al.
8 citations
Rats trained to distinguish the hallucinogen 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-OMe DMT) from saline in a drug discrimination task were tested with three related compounds: the 4-methoxy, 4-methylthio, and 5-methylthio derivatives of DMT. All three derivatives produced effects similar to the original drug. The relative potency of the compounds, from most to least potent, was 5-OMe DMT, followed by 5-SMe DMT, then 4-OMe DMT, and finally 4-SMe DMT.
Life Sciences
April 5, 1982
Anne C. Mahon, Paul R. Hartig
7 citations
Under ultraviolet light, 3H-LSD forms an irreversible covalent bond with some proteins in bovine caudate membranes. The pattern of this photolabeling on gels differs from the general protein staining pattern, but it does not specifically target LSD binding sites linked to neurotransmitter receptors. Because photolabeling can also occur simply from prolonged exposure to room light, it may create artifacts in receptor binding assays.
Life Sciences
November 17, 2000
C Acuña-castillo, C Scorza, M Reyes-Parada et al.
3 citations
ALEPH-2, a phenylisopropylamine derivative with claimed anxiolytic and hallucinogenic effects, acts as a partial agonist on the 5-HT2A receptor with potency similar to serotonin, but as a full agonist on the 5-HT2C receptor, where it is about 15-fold less potent than serotonin. The antagonist ritanserin blocks responses to both serotonin and ALEPH-2 equally, though the 5-HT2A receptor is more sensitive to ritanserin than the 5-HT2C receptor.
Life Sciences
March 19, 1984
A A Larson
3 citations
In cats, a single injection of LSD increased the dorsal root potential evoked by stimulating the nucleus raphe magnus, while a single injection of 5-MeODMT decreased it. The dose and time course of these electrophysiological changes matched the drugs' known behavioral effects. After four daily LSD injections, complete tolerance developed to LSD's potentiating effect, but the same pretreatment with 5-MeODMT did not alter its acute inhibitory effect. These results parallel the development of behavioral tolerance to LSD and 5-MeODMT, suggesting this system may serve as an electrophysiological model for studying these drugs.
Life Sciences
March 1, 1976
Brooks Carder, Rosalie Shall-Way Cheng
1 citation
Mescaline significantly reduces disinhibition, with 70% of participants reporting enhanced emotional connection and openness. In a sample of 150 individuals, biochemical analysis indicated that mescaline influences neurotransmitter receptors, particularly serotonin, which plays a crucial role in behavior modulation. Participants also showed increased sensitivity to sucrose, suggesting heightened sensory perception. This aligns with findings in pharmacology and psychology, highlighting mescaline's potential therapeutic effects. The study emphasizes the importance of understanding the chemistry behind these substances in neuroscience and neuropharmacology research for future applications.
Life Sciences
August 15, 2023
Lily Freeman-Striegel, John Hamilton, Renuka Kannappan et al.
Chronic exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in adolescent rats alters cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1R) levels in the brain and affects locomotion in a dose-dependent manner. High-dose THC (2.0 mg/kg daily for 24 days) reduced vertical activity in an open field and decreased CB1R binding in several cortical regions (cingulate, motor, somatosensory, rhinal, and auditory cortices) by 33–50% relative to low-dose THC. Low-dose THC (0.75 mg/kg) increased vertical activity and elevated CB1R binding in the primary motor cortex and hypothalamus by 33% compared to controls. No changes were found in mu-opioid receptor binding. The results indicate that chronic THC dose-dependently affects CB1R levels and motor behavior.
Life Sciences
September 19, 2003
Stephen I Deutsch, Richard B Rosse, Eddie N Billingslea et al.
The NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 (dizocilpine) induces intense, irregular jumping behavior (popping) in mice, modeling NMDA receptor hypofunction implicated in schizophrenia. Galantamine, which enhances nicotinic neurotransmission through acetylcholinesterase inhibition and positive allosteric modulation, significantly reduced MK-801-elicited popping at a dose of 100 mg/kg. This demonstrates that nicotinic interventions can influence NMDA receptor-mediated neurotransmission in mice, supporting the potential of nicotinic modulation as a therapeutic strategy for schizophrenia.
Life Sciences
December 8, 2000
J C Winter, M Doat, R A Rabin
In rats trained to recognize the drug DOM (a hallucinogen), giving them NMDA receptor antagonists (PCP, dizocilpine, or ketamine) before DOM made DOM's effects stronger. DOM alone at a low dose produced 32% of responses indicating drug recognition, but when combined with the NMDA antagonists, responses rose to 73-84%. The NMDA antagonists alone produced only 13-36% drug-like responses. The findings suggest that blocking NMDA glutamate receptors enhances DOM's effects, and the authors propose that drug discrimination techniques could help integrate theories about the causes of psychotic disorders.
Life Sciences
January 1, 1994
S Ogawa, S Okuyama, H Araki et al.
Rats given low doses of phencyclidine (PCP) showed impaired performance in water maze and diving tasks: their swimming latencies shortened gradually while diving latencies increased, whereas control rats performed well. No stereotyped behavior or hyperlocomotion was observed. The authors propose that this animal model, using lower PCP doses, may be useful for studying schizophrenia.
Life Sciences
January 1, 1994
S Okuyama, Y Imagawa, T Sakagawa et al.
NE-100, a drug being considered for schizophrenia, had no effect on conditioned avoidance responses in rats but attenuated PCP-induced impairment of avoidance inhibition. In rhesus monkeys, NE-100 partially overcame PCP-induced ataxia or decreased attention. In dogs, NE-100 blocked PCP-induced head-weaving behavior or ataxia. PCP increased beta-2 and decreased delta relative power in cortical ECoG activity in dogs; NE-100 alone showed no significant change in these measures but blocked the PCP-induced beta-2 increase and delta decrease. These findings indicate that NE-100 attenuates the effects of PCP in experimental animals.