Acute and chronic effects of LSD and 3,4-dimethoxyphenylethylamine on shuttlebox escape/avoidance in rats

✍ Scribed by David M. Stoff; Irwin J. Mandel; David A. Gorelick; Wagner H. Bridger

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1974
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 731 KB
• Volume: 36
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0033-3158
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00422562

✦ Synopsis

Three experiments were conducted in rats to study the effects of acute and chronic LSD and 3,4-dimethoxyphenylethylamine (DMPEA) on acquisition of shuttlebox escape/avoidance and of acute DMPEA on performance in the shuttlebox of pretrained poor performers. In Experiments 1 and 2, separate groups of male hooded rats were injected (i.p.) either once with LSD (0.1 or 0.5 mg/kg),DMPEA (25, 50, or 100 mg/kg) or saline or daily for 5 days with LSD (0.5 mg/kg), DMPEA (25 or 100 mg/kg) or saline before an initial acquisition test. The acute drug groups were retested 24 h later under saline. In Experiment 3, pretrained rats which had achieved a low, stable baseline rate of shuttlebox performance were injected once with DMPEA (50 mg/kg) before a performance test and retested 24 h later under saline. It was found that all LSD treatments decreases escape/avoidance latencies (excitatory effect) on the acquisition test and saline retest, while all DMPEA treatments were without effect.