Summary
Yohimbine in a dose of 0.5 mg/kg has been given to 51 male mental hospital subjects and nine normal volunteers.
It has produced both cholinergic and adrenergic-type autonomic effects and psychic effects simulating an anxiety state. The degree of both these responses to yohimbine correlates highly with the basic level of emotional reactivity.
Central nervous system depressants, amobarbital and Ro 5–0690, reduced the degree of response to yohimbine, whilst the CNS stimulants imipramine and epinephrine potentiated the yohimbine effect. Yohimbine in the dosage here employed did not have any blocking effect against injected epinephrine.
Activation of the psychotic picture was produced by yohimbine in some schizophrenic cases.
Yohimbine is a promising compound for use as an autonomic test drug.
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Holmberg, G., Gershon, S. Autonomic and psychic effects of yohimbine hydrochloride. Psychopharmacologia 2, 93–106 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00592678
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00592678