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Discriminative response control by d-amphetamine and related compounds in the rat

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Abstract

Rats were trained to discriminate between two levers utilizing drug-induced physiological states as discriminative stimuli. Drug injections were associated with reinforcement of response on one lever and saline was associated with reinforcement on the other lever. At equimolar doses, d- and l-amphetamine but not para-hydroxyamphetamine, functioned effectively as cues. Following training, stimulus generalization between these drugs was evaluated. Transfer of response control was observed between the d- and l-isomers, and between para-hydroxyamphetamine and saline in rats trained to utilize d- or l-amphetamine versus saline as cues. These findings suggest the importance of central pharmacological activity in this type of response control.

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This research was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH-19651.

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Jones, C.N., Hill, H.F. & Harris, R.T. Discriminative response control by d-amphetamine and related compounds in the rat. Psychopharmacologia 36, 347–356 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00422566

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00422566

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