Psychomotor stimulant effects of d-amphetamine, MDMA and PCP: aggressive and schedule-controlled behavior in mice.
K A Miczek, Margaret Haney
Psychopharmacology July 1994 DOI: 10.1007/bf02245077 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Mice |
| Interventions | d-amphetamine methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) phencyclidine (PCP) |
| Duration | 1-h daily session |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | D-amphetamine, and less reliably MDMA and PCP, increased Fixed Interval but not Fixed Ratio responding in mice. Aggressive encounters, but not non-aggressive ones, produced an amphetamine-like increase in subsequent FI responding. MDMA dose-dependently decreased aggression, low PCP and d-amphetamine doses increased aggression erratically in some individuals but not reliably for the group, and all drugs disrupted aggression at higher doses. |
Abstract
The objective of the present experiments was to characterize psychomotor stimulant effects of d-amphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and phencyclidine (PCP) on conditioned performance and on aggressive behavior in mice. In a novel protocol with alternating periods of schedule-controlled responding and aggressive behavior toward an intruder it was possible to assess a range of species-specific agonistic acts, postures, and motor activities as well as response rates and patterns engendered by a multiple Fixed Interval (FI) and Fixed Ratio (FR) schedule within the same animal. Initially, it was confirmed that d-amphetamine and, less reliably, MDMA and PCP, increased FI, but not FR responding in mice. In the next experiment, mice confronted an intruder at the midpoint of the 1-h daily session; following the display of aggressive behavior, the rate of FI responding showed an amphetamine-like increase, whereas only a transient change occurred after non-aggressive encounters. Thirdly, using this new protocol, PCP, d-amphetamine and MDMA altered FI and FR responding in a way that was closely similar to the first experiment. Low PCP and d-amphetamine doses increased aggressive behavior erratically in certain individuals, but not reliably for the group. MDMA dose-dependently decreased aggressive behavior, and all drugs disrupted aggressive behavior at higher doses. The characteristic increases in walking and decreases in rearing after higher doses of PCP and d-amphetamine were greatly attenuated when the intruder was present.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- The Prosocial Effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA): Controlled Studies in Humans and Laboratory Animals Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 25, 2015
- Effects of hallucinogenic agents mescaline and phencyclidine on zebrafish behavior and physiology Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry January 10, 2012
- Acute and long-term effects of a single dose of MDMA on aggression in Dark Agouti rats The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology August 1, 2005
- A Systematic Review of the MDMA Model to Address Social Impairment in Autism. Current Neuropharmacology 2021
- Of mice and men on MDMA: a translational comparison of the neuropsychobiological effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine ('Ecstasy'). Brain Research November 14, 2019
and 3 more in the library
Cites 7
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- Reduction of in vivo binding of [3H]paroxetine in mouse brain by 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Neuropharmacology July 1990
- Behavioral effects of (+-) 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and (+-) 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in the pigeon: interactions with noradrenergic and serotonergic systems. Psychopharmacology 1989
- Role of endogenous dopamine in the central serotonergic deficits induced by 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics October 1, 1988
- Differences between rats and mice in MDMA (methylenedioxymethylamphetamine) neurotoxicity. European Journal of Pharmacology August 2, 1988
and 2 more in the library