Differences in the stimulus properties of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine and 3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine in animals trained to discriminate hallucinogens from saline.
P M Callahan, J B Appel
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics September 1, 1988 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-3565(25)22199-1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Drug discrimination study in animals Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 16 |
| Population | Male rats trained to discriminate LSD or mescaline from saline |
| Interventions | 3 4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (+)-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) mescaline (+/-)-2 psilocybin (+)-amphetamine cocaine fenfluramine |
| Dose | LSD 0.08 mg/kg; mescaline 10 mg/kg |
| Topics | LSD Mescaline MDMA |
| Keywords | Animals Rats, inbred strains Amphetamines N-methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine Hallucinogens Conditioning, operant Discrimination learning Dose-response relationship, drug Male |
| Key points | In rats trained to discriminate mescaline, all four MDA and MDMA enantiomers substituted for mescaline, while in LSD-trained rats only (-)-MDA and the classical hallucinogens produced LSD-like responding. The authors argue these results do not support the suggestion that hallucinogen-like behavioral effects of designer drugs such as MDA and MDMA are limited to (-)-MDA, and indicate that LSD and mescaline do not have identical stimulus properties. |
Abstract
The stimulus properties of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and several related compounds were compared to those of (+)-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and mescaline (3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylethylamine) in a two-lever, water-reinforced, drug discrimination task. In animals trained to discriminate LSD (0.08 mg/kg) from saline (n = 8), LSD-like responding occurred during substitution (generalization) tests with sufficiently high doses of (+/- )-2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine, LSD, mescaline, psilocybin and (-)-MDA; saline appropriate responding occurred after (+)-MDA and both (+)- and (+)- and (-)-MDMA. In animals trained to discriminate mescaline (10 mg/kg; n = 8), (-)-MDA, (+)-MDA, (-)-MDMA and (+)-MDMA as well as (+/- )-2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine, LSD, mescaline and psilocybin mimicked the training drug. Neither (+)-amphetamine nor cocaine produced mescaline-like responding; fenfluramine substituted partially for mescaline but not LSD. Because all of the phenylisopropylamine enantiomers mimicked the potent hallucinogen mescaline (10 mg/kg), these results do not support suggestions that similarities in the behavioral effects of "designer" drugs such as MDA and MDMA to those of hallucinogens are limited to (-)-MDA. They also indicate that, although LSD and mescaline may be pharmacologically similar (in other assays), these compounds do not have identical stimulus properties.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 21
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- Behavioral Tolerance to Lysergic Acid Diethylamide is Associated with Reduced Serotonin-2A Receptor Signaling in Rat Cortex Neuropsychopharmacology March 9, 2005
- A three-choice discrimination procedure dissociates the discriminative stimulus effects of d-amphetamine and (±)-MDMA in rats. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology 2000
- Occurrence and use of hallucinogenic mushrooms containing psilocybin alkaloids TemaNord May 19, 2009
- MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) Analogues as Tools to Characterize MDMA-Like Effects: An Approach to Understand Entactogen Pharmacology Current Neuropharmacology August 1, 2013
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