The immunomodulatory potential of the indole alkaloids ibogaine and harmaline was examined in a panel of in vitro immune function assays. These assays were chosen to assess T-cell regulatory and effector function, B-cell function, macrophage function, and natural killer-cell function. The in vitro exposure to either ibogaine or harmaline resulted in a dose-related suppression of all immune...
Rats were allowed to self-administer cocaine during a 3-h session for 15 days. One to 11 days after the last cocaine exposure, rats were anesthetized with urethane and effects of microiontophoretically-applied dopamine on glutamate-evoked firing of neurons in the nucleus accumbens and in the caudate/putamen were tested. Dopamine produced a dose-dependent inhibition of glutamate-evoked firing in...
Neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and ions regulate glycogen levels in the brain by modulating the activity of glycogen synthase (GSase) and glycogen phosphorylase (GPase). GPase is co-localized with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), an astroglia-specific marker, suggesting that glycogen is localized in astroglial cells. Additionally, functional serotonin (5-HT) receptors are found in...
The metabolic effects of the neurotoxic, ring-substituted amphetamine 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA or 'Ecstasy') were examined in vivo. In this study, we focused on the ability of MDMA to induce a translocation of the calcium and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) from the cytosol to the cortical plasma membrane. Two injections of MDMA (20 mg/kg; 10 h apart; s.c.)...
The pharmacodynamic characteristics of the stimulus effects of the hallucinogens d-LSD and (-)DOM were investigated in the rat. The stimulus control induced by (-)DOM (0.56 mg/kg) was significantly less stable at the 15-min pretreatment time than at the 75-min pretreatment time. In addition, (-)DOM (0.8 mg/kg) produced a time-dependent substitution for the LSD stimulus in LSD trained subjects...
Previously, we reported that administration of the 5-HT2A/C receptor agonist, DOI [(+/-)-1-(2,5-Dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane], can simultaneously produce the head-twitch response (HTR) and the ear-scratch response (ESR) in mice. Our recent studies have indicated that the HTR is a 5-HT2A receptor-mediated phenomenon, whereas the ESR is probably a 5-HT2C receptor-mediated event. The HTR...
While many previous studies have shown that a variety of cannabinoids substitute and cross-substitute for delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in drug discrimination procedures, few have systematically examined potential THC-like effects of non-cannabinoid compounds. The purpose of the present study was to delineate further the pharmacological specificity of THC discrimination. Rats were trained...
The indole alkaloid ibogaine (NIH 10567, Endabuse) is currently being examined for its potential utility in the treatment of cocaine and opioid addiction. However, a clearly defined molecular mechanism of action for ibogaine's putative anti-addictive properties has not been delineated. Radioligand binding assays targeting over 50 distinct neurotransmitter receptors, ion channels, and select...
This study investigated the impact that meditation has on Fordyce's (1977, 1983) Personal Happiness Enhancement Program (PHEP). Experimental subjects were divided into two groups, both of which received instruction on the PHEP. Subjects in one experimental group were taught a meditation exercise in addition to the PHEP. A control group received no instruction. The Happiness Measure, Psychap...
PsychopharmacologyFebruary 1995T Morita, Shinichiro Hitomi, S Saito et al.
To study the effects of repeated ketamine administration on central muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAchRs), ddY male mice were administered subcutaneous doses of 25 mg/kg ketamine every 3 days for a total of five times. Receptor binding assays of mAchR were carried out in the forebrain (FB), cerebellum (CB) and brainstem (BS), using [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate ([3H]QNB) as a ligand. In...