Abstract
The effects in squirrel monkeys of nicotine, d-amphetamine, caffeine and dimethylheptyl tetrahydrocannabinol have been examined in three standard behavioral procedures: Fixed Interval, Fixed Ratio and Continuous Shock Avoidance, and two procedures developed to test neuromuscular performance: Physical Activity and Steadiness. Nicotine increased responding in the first half of Fixed Intervals and in Continuous Avoidance; d-amphetamine increased responding under all procedures except Physical Activity; caffeine increased responding under all procedures except Fixed Ratio and DMHP increased responding under all procedures except Continuous Avoidance, where responding was reduced. Nicotine and d-amphetamine caused disruption in the Physical Activity procedure. Thus the different procedures revealed different aspects of the behavioral effects of the drugs. Findings are consistent with interpretation that it is the temporal pattern of the responding under the different procedures that is the dominant factor in determining the behavioral effects of the drugs.
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The study was supported by the American Medical Association Education and Research Foundation, Chicago, Illinois.
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Davis, T.R.A., Kensler, C.J. & Dews, P.B. Comparison of behavioral effects of nicotine, d-amphetamine, caffeine and dimethylheptyl tetrahydrocannabinol in squirrel monkeys. Psychopharmacologia 32, 51–65 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421707
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421707