A characteristic effect of hallucinogens on investigatory responding in rats

✍ Scribed by Mark A. Geyer; Roger K. Light; Gary J. Rose; Lyle R. Petersen; David D. Horwitt; Lynne M. Adams; Richard L. Hawkins

• Book ID: 104786330
• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1979
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 565 KB
• Volume: 65
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0033-3158
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00491975

✦ Synopsis

The disruption of the temporal distribution of investigatory responses by rats in a novel hole-board foIlowing iysergic acid diethyiamide-25 (LSD), as described in a companion paper (Geyer and Light, 1979), was found to be a characteristic effect of a variety of hallucinogens. Similar effects were produced by indoleamine haliucinogens, such as LSD, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, and psilocin, and by phony!ethylamine hallucinogens, such as mescaline or 2,5dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine (DOM). Congeners of DOM that are inactive in humans had no significant effects. Furthermore, of a variety of other psychoactive drugs tested, only apomorphine produced an effect similar to that of the hallucinogens. These results suggest that a simple behavioral measure of exploration in a hoie-board may provide a useful animal model with which to examine the common effects of hallucinogens.