Effects of intraocular mescaline and LSD on visual-evoked responses in the rat
Janis T. Eells, Douglas M. Wilkison
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior 1989 DOI: 10.1016/0091-3057(89)90232-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Unrestrained rats with chronically-implanted electrodes |
| Interventions | mescaline LSD cyproheptadine methysergide atropine |
| Topics | LSD Mescaline Psilocybin Serotonin |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Methysergide Pharmacology Cyproheptadine Atropine Agonist Psychotomimetic |
| Citations | 10 |
| Key findings | Mescaline and LSD attenuate the primary component of the flash-evoked cortical potential, an effect antagonized by serotonin receptor antagonists and by atropine, indicating actions on both retinal and central visual processing. |
Abstract
The effects of mescaline and LSD on the flash-evoked cortical potential (FEP) were determined in unrestrained rats with chronically-implanted electrodes. Systemic administration of mescaline or LSD significantly attenuated the primary component of the FEP at three stimulus intensities with the greatest effect observed 60-90 minutes following drug administration. The magnitude and specificity of the effects of these agents on the primary response suggest that they produce deficits in conduction through the retino-geniculato-cortical system. The serotonin receptor antagonists, cyproheptadine and methysergide, antagonized the mescaline-induced depression of the FEP in accordance with neurochemical and behavioral evidence that mescaline acts as a partial agonist on serotonin receptors. Topical or intraocular administration of atropine antagonized the actions of systemically-administered mescaline. In addition, intraocular administration of mescaline or LSD attenuated the FEP indicative of an action of these hallucinogens on visual processing in the retina which is modulated by muscarinic receptor activity.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on mescaline, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Correlation between the potency of hallucinogens in the mouse head-twitch response assay and their behavioral and subjective effects in other species. C57BL/6J mice | 2020 | Experimental study with dose-response experiments | |
| Brain mechanisms of hallucinogens and entactogens Humans and rats | 2001 | Review | |
| Effects of hallucinogenic agents mescaline and phencyclidine on zebrafish behavior and physiology Zebrafish (Danio rerio) | 2012 | Experimental study | |
| Lysergic Acid Diethylamide- and Mescaline-Induced Attenuation of the Effect of Punishment in the Rat Rats | 1976 | Experimental study | |
| Dihydrobenzofuran Analogues of Hallucinogens. 3. Models of 4-Substituted (2,5-Dimethoxyphenyl)alkylamine Derivatives with Rigidified Methoxy Groups Rats (trained to discriminate saline from LSD tartrate) and rat cortical and... | 1996 | In vivo drug discrimination assay and in vitro radioligand binding assay |
Citations in the library
Cites 4
- Evidence for a central 5‐hydroxytryptamine receptor stimulation by lysergic acid diethylamide British Journal of Pharmacology September 1, 1968
- The effects of lysergic acid diethylamide and mescaline-derived hallucinogens on sensory-integrative function: tactile startle. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics December 1, 1978
- Distortions of Vision and Pain: Two Functional Facets of D-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide Perceptual and Motor Skills December 1, 1979
- Studies of the relationship between molecular structure and hallucinogenic activity. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior February 1986