Skip to main content
Log in

Potentiation of d-amphetamine and l-dopa-induced acoustic startle activity after long-term exposure to amphetamine

  • Original Investigations
  • Published:
Psychopharmacology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The startle response to an auditory atimulus was potentiated by treatment with d-amphetamine sulfate. Administration of l-dopa after pretreatment with the extracerebral decarboxylase inhibitor MK-486 also increased startle activity. After long-term exposure to amphetamine the startle response to l-dopa and d-amphetamine was enhanced. These findings are consistent with the consequences of longterm amphetamine administration on other amphetamine-induced behaviors (e.g. stereotypy), and are discussed in terms of the effects of long-term amphetamine treatment on pre-and postsynaptic dopamine receptors and serotonin.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bunney WE, van Kammen DP, Post RM, Garland BL (1979) A possible role for dopamine in schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness: A review of evidence. In: Usdin E, Kopin U, Barchas J (eds) Catecholamines: Basic and clinical frontiers. Raven, New York, pp 1807–1819

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlton PL, Advokat C (1973) Attenuated habituation due to parchlorophenylalanine. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1:657–663

    Google Scholar 

  • Connell PH (1958) Amphetamine psychosis. Oxford University Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Crow TJ (1979) Catecholamine reward pathways and schizophrenia: The mechanism of the antipsychotic effect and the site of the primary disturbance. Fed Proc 38:2462–2467

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis M (1980) Neurochemical modulation of sensory-motor reactivity: Acoustic and tactile startle reflexes. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 4:241–263

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis M, Astrachan DI, Kass E (1980) Excitatory and inhibitory effects of serotonin on sensorimotor reactivity measured with acoustic startle. Science 209:521–523

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis M, Svensson TH, Aghajanian GK (1975) Effects of d-and l-amphetamine on habituation and sensitization of the acoustic startle response in rats. Psychopharmacologia 43:1–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellison G, Eison MS, Huberman HS (1978) Stages of constant amphetamine intoxication: Delayed appearance of abnormal social behaviors in rat colonies. Psychopharmacology 56:293–299

    Google Scholar 

  • Fechter LD (1974) The effect of l-dopa, clonidine and apomorphine on the acoustic startle reaction in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2:161–172

    Google Scholar 

  • German DC, Bowden DM (1974) Catecholamine systems as the neural substrate for intracranial self-stimulation: A hypothesis. Brain Res 73:381–419

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffith J, Cavanaugh J, Held J, Oates J (1972) Dextroamphetamine: Evaluation of psychomimetic properties in man. Arch Gen Psychiatry 26:97–100

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartmann E (1976) Schzophrenia: A theory. Psychopharmacology 49:1–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Howlett DR, Nahorski SR (1979) Acute and chronic amphetamine treatments modulate striatal dopamine receptor binding sites. Brain Res 161:173–178

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalant O (1973) The amphetamines: Toxicity and addiction. University of Toronto Press, Toronto

    Google Scholar 

  • Kokkinidis L, Anisman H (1978) Involvement of norepinephrine in startle arousal after acute and chronic d-amphetamine administration. Psychopharmacology 59:285–292

    Google Scholar 

  • Kokkinidis L, Anisman H (1980) Amphetamine models of paranoid schizophrenia: An overview and elaboration of animal experimentation. Psychol Bull 88:551–579

    Google Scholar 

  • Kokkinidis L, Anisman H (1981) Amphetamine psychosis and schizophrenia: A dual model. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 5:449–461

    Google Scholar 

  • Kokkinidis L, Zacharko RM (1980a) Enhanced self-stimulation responding from the substantia nigra after chronic amphetamine treatment: A role for conditioning factors. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 12:543–547

    Google Scholar 

  • Kokkinidis L, Zacharko RM (1980b) Response sensitization and depression following long-term amphetamine treatment in a self-stimulation paradigm. Psychopharmacology 68:73–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Kokkinidis L, Zacharko RM (1980c) Enhanced lateral hypothalamic self-stimulation responding after chronic exposure to amphetamine. Behav Neural Biol 29:493–497

    Google Scholar 

  • Muller P, Seeman P (1979) Presynaptic subsensitivity as a possible basis for sensitization by long-term dopamine mimetics. Eur J Pharmacol 149–157

  • Post RM (1975) Cocaine psychosis: A continuum model. Am J Psychiatry 132:225–231

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson A, Mogenson GJ (1979) Facilitation of self-stimulation of the prefrontal cortex in rats following chronic administration of spiroperidol or amphetamine. Psychopharmacology 65:149–154

    Google Scholar 

  • Segal DS, Janowsky DS (1978) Psychostimulant-induced behavioral effects: Possible models of schizophrenia. In: Lipton A, Dimascio A, Killman F (eds) Psychopharmacology: A generation of progress. Raven, New York, pp 1113–1123

    Google Scholar 

  • Snyder SH (1973) Amphetamine psychosis: A model schizophrenia mediated by catecholamines. Am J Psychiatry 130:61–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Trulson ME, Jacobs BL (1979) Chronic amphetamine administration to cats: Behavioral and neurochemical evidence for decreased central serotonergic function. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 211:375–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Trulson ME, Jacobs BL (1980) Chronic amphetamine administration decreases brain tryptophan hydroxylase activity in cats. Life Sci 26:329–335

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kokkinidis, L., MacNeill, E.P. Potentiation of d-amphetamine and l-dopa-induced acoustic startle activity after long-term exposure to amphetamine. Psychopharmacology 78, 331–335 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00433736

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00433736

Key words

Navigation