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Acute effects of BZP, TFMPP and the combination of BZP and TFMPP in comparison to dexamphetamine on an auditory oddball task using electroencephalography: a single-dose study

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Abstract

Rationale

Piperazine-based designer drugs such as benzylpiperazine (BZP) and trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine (TFMPP) have been marketed and sold as legal alternatives to dexamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) until 2008 in New Zealand. When administered in combination, BZP + TFMPP have been reported to produce drug-drug synergism in rodents by stimulating the release of dopamine and serotonin.

Objectives

This study was to evaluate the acute event-related potential effects of BZP, TFMPP or the combination of BZP + TFMPP compared with dexamphetamine in young healthy male adults.

Methods

A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study investigated the effects of BZP, TFMPP, the combination of BZP + TFMPP, and dexamphetamine on the event-related potentials during an auditory oddball task. Healthy, right-handed males were given a single oral dose of either BZP (200 mg), TFMPP (60 mg), a combination of BZP + TFMPP (100/30 mg), dexamphetamine (20 mg) or placebo (lactose) and tested both before and 120 min after drug administration.

Results

A single dose of either TMFPP (t = −2.29, p = 0.03) or dexamphetamine (t = −2.33, p = 0.02) significantly reduced the P300 amplitude. A similar trend was also found in BZP. In contrast, BZP and TFMPP in combination has no effect. Neither P300 latency nor the mean reaction time was affected by any of the drug treatments. In addition, neither the P100 nor the P200 component was significantly affected following any of the drug treatments.

Conclusions

A single oral dose of BZP or TFMPP, but not the combination of BZP/TFMPP, affected auditory sensory-evoked P300 potential in a manner similar to dexamphetamine.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Michelle Robertson, Melissa Innes-Jones, Kristen Penny, Stephanie Taylor, James Millar and Lisa Wallace for their help with the data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    HeeSeung Lee, Louise E. Curley & Bruce R. Russell

  2. Department of Psychology, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand

    Grace Y. Wang

  3. Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    John J. Sollers & Rob R. Kydd

  4. Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, School of Psychology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Rob R. Kydd & Ian J. Kirk

  5. Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    HeeSeung Lee, Louise E. Curley, Ian J. Kirk & Bruce R. Russell

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  1. HeeSeung Lee
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Correspondence to Bruce R. Russell.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest in this research. The Health Research Council of New Zealand and the New Zealand Pharmacy Education Research Foundation funded this research but had no influence on any part of research process or preparation of this manuscript.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Following the provision of both written and oral information, written consent was obtained from all participants before enrolment in the study. This study received ethics approval from the Northern X Regional Ethics Committee of New Zealand.

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Lee, H., Wang, G.Y., Curley, L.E. et al. Acute effects of BZP, TFMPP and the combination of BZP and TFMPP in comparison to dexamphetamine on an auditory oddball task using electroencephalography: a single-dose study. Psychopharmacology 233, 863–871 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-015-4165-x

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