Mescaline: excitatory effects on acoustic startle are blocked by serotonin2 antagonists
Psychopharmacology November 1, 1987 DOI: 10.1007/bf00187244 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats |
| Interventions | Mescaline Ritanserin Ketanserin Cinanserin LY 53857 Pindolol |
| Dose | 20 mg/kg mescaline, 0.25 mg/kg IP ritanserin (ED50), 2.0 mg/kg ritanserin, 5 mg/kg pindolol |
| Topics | Mescaline |
| Keywords | Excitatory postsynaptic potential Moro reflex Audiology Startle response |
| Citations | 23 |
| Key findings | Mescaline's excitatory effect on the acoustic startle reflex is blocked by 5-HT2 antagonists but not by a 5-HT1 antagonist, supporting the role of 5-HT2 receptors in hallucinogen action. |
Abstract
The ability of serotonin2 (5-HT2) antagonists to block the excitatory effects of mescaline on the acoustic startle reflex were analyzed. Mescaline (20 mg/kg) caused a consistent increase in the amplitude of the acoustic startle reflex. This effect was blocked in a dose-related fashion by the 5-HT2 antagonist ritanserin (ED50 dose = 0.25 mg/kg IP). In contrast, even a high dose of ritanserin (2.0 mg/kg) did not block the excitatory effects of amphetamine on startle. Other 5-HT2 antagonists (ketanserin, cinanserin, LY 53857) also blocked mescaline's effect, whereas the 5-HT1 antagonist pindolol (5 mg/kg) did not. These results support the hypothesis that the behavioral effects of hallucinogens are mediated by agonist actions at 5-HT2 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 9
- Mescaline: The forgotten psychedelic Neuropharmacology October 14, 2022
- Dark Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: Mescaline ACS Chemical Neuroscience May 30, 2018
- Serotonergic hallucinogens as translational models relevant to schizophrenia The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology August 13, 2013
- Mescaline effects on rat behavior and its time profile in serum and brain tissue after a single subcutaneous dose Psychopharmacology October 6, 2007
- Behavioral, neurochemical and pharmaco-EEG profiles of the psychedelic drug 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B) in rats. Psychopharmacology 2013
and 4 more in the library
Cites 24
- Evidence for 5-HT2 involvement in the mechanism of action of hallucinogenic agents. Life Sciences December 17, 1984
- Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: Sensitive Neuronal Units in the Midbrain Raphe Science August 16, 1968
- CLINICAL REACTIONS AND TOLERANCE TO LSD IN CHRONIC SCHIZOPHRENIA The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease September 1, 1955
- Effects of chlorimipramine and lysergic acid diethylamide on efflux of precursor-formed 3-H-serotonin: correlations with serotonergic impulse flow. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics June 1, 1975
- Acquired and Crossed Tolerance to Mescaline, LSD-25, and BOL-148 Archives of General Psychiatry September 1, 1959
and 19 more in the library