Role of serotonin in the discriminative stimulus properties of mescaline
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior May 1, 1975 DOI: 10.1016/0091-3057(75)90052-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats |
| Interventions | mescaline cinanserin methysergide cyproheptadine xylamidine tosylate p-chlorophenylalanine |
| Topics | Mescaline Serotonin |
| Keywords | Methysergide Stimulus control Pharmacology 5-HT Receptor Stimulus psychology Cyproheptadine Stimulus generalization Saline Serotonin antagonists Nicotine Hallucinogen |
| Citations | 51 |
| Key points | Mescaline produces its discriminative stimulus properties by directly stimulating central serotonergic receptors. |
Abstract
Rats were trained to discriminate intraperitoneally administered mescaline from saline in a two-lever operant chamber for food reinforcement. Reward was contingent upon responses made greater than 15 sec apart (DRL-15) on the appropriate lever paired with either drug or saline administration. Following the establishment of discriminative response control by mescaline, the animals were tested for stimulus generalization produced by mescaline after: (a) blockade of periphreral and central serotonin (5-HT) receptors with cinanserin, methysergide, or cyproheptadine; (b) blockade of peripheral 5-HT receptors with xylamidine tosylate; and (c) depletion of brain 5-HT with the tryptophan hydroxylase inhibitor p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA). The results show that all three central 5-HT antagonists greatly reduced the discriminability of mescaline while the peripheral antagonist, xylamidine tosylate, was without effect. Furthermore, these agents at the doses employed did not effect the discriminability of saline. Depletion of 5-HT with PCPA potentiated the effects of a sub-threshold dose of mescaline and slightly reduced the discriminability of saline. The results indicate that mescaline produces its discriminative stimulus properties by directly stimulating central serotonergic receptors.
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
Cited by 24
- Lysergic acid diethylamide and [−]-2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine increase extracellular glutamate in rat prefrontal cortex Brain Research August 27, 2004
- The paradox of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine: an indoleamine hallucinogen that induces stimulus control via 5-HT1A receptors. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior 2000
- Hallucinogenic agents as discriminative stimuli: a correlation with serotonin receptor affinities. Psychopharmacology 1980
- Involvement of 5-HT receptor subtypes in the discriminative stimulus properties of mescaline European Journal of Pharmacology 1989
- A comparison of N,N-dimethyltryptamine, harmaline, and selected congeners in rats trained with LSD as a discriminative stimulus Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry May 1, 1998
and 19 more in the library
Cites 4
- Evidence for a central 5‐hydroxytryptamine receptor stimulation by lysergic acid diethylamide British Journal of Pharmacology September 1, 1968
- Antagonism of 5‐hydroxytryptamine by LSD 25 in the central nervous system: a possible neuronal basis for the actions of LSD 25 British Journal of Pharmacology October 1, 1970
- Mescaline and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) as discriminative stimuli Psychopharmacology 1971
- Neuromyal blocking action of mescaline American Journal of Physiology-Legacy Content June 1, 1961