Conditioned place preference with low dose mixtures of α-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (α-PVP) and 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats.

Two common constituents of psychoactive "bath salts", 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and α-pyrrolidinoipentiophenone (α-PVP) belong to a novel class of synthetic chemicals structurally related to the psychostimulant drug, cathinone. Recreational use of MDPV and α-PVP pose serious health risks, which may be exacerbated by concomitant use of both substances. Preclinical psychopharmacology studies have established that MDPV and α-PVP have high abuse liabilities, comparable to that of cocaine and methamphetamine.

Novel Benzofuran Derivatives Induce Monoamine Release and Substitute for the Discriminative Stimulus Effects of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has shown efficacy as a medication adjunct for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, MDMA is also used in nonmedical contexts that pose risk for cardiovascular and neurologic complications. It is well established that MDMA exerts its effects by stimulating transporter-mediated release of the monoamines 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), norepinephrine, and dopamine.

Characterization of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone discrimination in female Sprague-Dawley rats.

3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), one of several synthetic cathinones, is a popular constituent of illicit 'bath salts'. In preclinical studies utilizing drug discrimination methods with male rodents, MDPV has been characterized as similar to both cocaine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-hydrochloride (MDMA). Whereas few drug discrimination studies have utilized female rats, the current study evaluated the discriminative stimulus effects of MDPV in 12 adult female Sprague-Dawley rats trained to discriminate 0.

Re-evaluation of the discriminative stimulus effects of lysergic acid diethylamide with male and female Sprague-Dawley rats.

Recent discoveries from clinical trials with psychedelic-assisted therapy have led to a resurgence of interest in the psychopharmacology of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Preclinical drug discrimination is an invaluable tool to investigate the neurochemical mechanisms underlying subjective drug effects. The current study extends previous drug discrimination research by including both sexes.

Conditioned place preference following concurrent treatment with 3, 4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and methamphetamine in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats.

Synthetic cathinones gained initial popularity on the illicit drug market as a result of attempts to evade legal restrictions on other commonly abused psychostimulants. A body of published research has determined that the psychopharmacology of the synthetic cathinone 3, 4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) is comparable to cocaine and methamphetamine (METH). Few preclinical studies have systematically investigated concurrent use of synthetic cathinones with other psychostimulant drugs.

Combined effects of mephedrone and cocaine on locomotor activity and conditioned place preference in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Mephedrone (MEPH) is one of several synthetic cathinone derivatives and a common constituent of illicit 'bath salts'. Concomitant use of MEPH with other psychostimulants is common among recreational users, but their combined effects have not been evaluated rigorously. In experiment 1, 56 male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered saline, MEPH (1 or 5 mg/kg), COC (5 mg/kg), or a mixture of MEPH (1 or 5 mg/kg) + COC (5 mg/kg) for seven consecutive days.

Locomotor sensitization in male Sprague-Dawley rats following repeated concurrent treatment with 4-methylmethcathinone and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine.

Recreational abuse of illicit synthetic cathinones is an ongoing public health concern. Recent studies indicate that the methcathinone derivative 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC) produces behavioral and neurochemical effects similar to the entactogen 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Whereas polysubstance abuse is common, most preclinical studies of drug abuse liability only evaluate the effects of single drugs.

Contribution of monoaminergic mechanisms to the discriminative stimulus effects of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Rationale: 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) is a popular synthetic cathinone reported to have a high abuse potential. Recent preclinical research indicates the psychopharmacology of MDPV is comparable to cocaine. Despite a recent influx of research on the psychopharmacology of MDPV, few studies have employed preclinical drug discrimination methods to discern the neurochemical mechanisms involved in its interoceptive stimulus effects.

Repeated exposure to 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone and cocaine produces locomotor sensitization with minimal effects on brain monoamines.

Synthetic cathinones, known as "bath salts" on the illicit drug market, pose a significant public health concern. 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), one of several popular constituents of illicit bath salts, produces similar pharmacological actions to cocaine, albeit with greater potency and efficacy. The present study sought to characterize behavioral and neurochemical effects of repeated exposure to MDPV alone and in combination with cocaine.

Evaluation of training dose in male Sprague-Dawley rats trained to discriminate 4-methylmethcathinone.

Rationale: Although the synthetic cathinone 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC, mephedrone) has been a subject of intensive research investigation, the pharmacological mechanisms involved in its interoceptive stimulus effects have yet to be fully characterized.

Objective: The present study employed drug discrimination methods in rats to compare the interoceptive stimulus properties of two different training doses of 4-MMC to other substances with similar pharmacological actions.

Methods: Sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate either 1.

Effects of D1 and D2 receptor antagonists on the discriminative stimulus effects of methylendioxypyrovalerone and mephedrone in male Sprague-Dawley rats trained to discriminate D-amphetamine.

Psychopharmacology research has amassed substantial evidence for similarities between synthetic cathinones and other commonly abused psychostimulants. Few studies have utilized drug discrimination methods to investigate synthetic cathinones, and the precise neurochemical substrates underlying their interoceptive effects have not been examined. The present study assessed the involvement of D1 and D2 dopaminergic receptors in the stimulus effects of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and mephedrone (MEPH) in rats trained to discriminate D-amphetamine.

Characterization of the discriminative stimulus effects of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Recreational use of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) in the early 2000s prompted numerous scientific investigations of its behavioral and neurochemical effects. The purpose of this study was to further characterize the interoceptive stimulus effects of MDPV using a validated in-vivo drug-detection assay. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate 0.

Hallucinogens in Drug Discrimination.

Hallucinogens comprise a diverse collection of chemicals with multifarious receptor actions in the central nervous system. Preclinical drug screening methods have proven invaluable in the evaluation and characterization of hallucinogen psychopharmacology. Used in concert with structural chemistry and receptor pharmacology methods, preclinical drug discrimination research has informed our current understanding of hallucinogens and the neurochemical receptor mechanisms responsible for their interoceptive stimulus effects.

Sensitization to the locomotor stimulant effects of "bath salt" constituents, 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC) and 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Background: Synthetic cathinones, 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC) and 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), serve as a substrate or blocker at monoaminergic transporters, respectively, and produce locomotor stimulant effects in rodents. The present study investigated in rats the effects of repeated exposure to 4-MMC, MDPV, or mixtures of the two on the induction of locomotor sensitization and expression of cross-sensitization to cocaine.

Methods: Seventy-two male Sprague-Dawley rats received daily intraperitoneal injections of saline, MDPV (0.

Differential effects of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and 4-methylmethcathinone (mephedrone) in rats trained to discriminate MDMA or a d-amphetamine + MDMA mixture.

Rationale: Recent reports on the abuse of novel synthetic cathinone derivatives call attention to serious public health risks of these substances. In response to this concern, a growing body of preclinical research has characterized the psychopharmacology of these substances, particularly mephedrone (MEPH) or methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), noting their similarities to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and cocaine. Few studies have utilized drug discrimination methodology to characterize the psychopharmacological properties of these substances.

The effects of gestational and chronic atrazine exposure on motor behaviors and striatal dopamine in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

This study sought to investigate the effects of environmentally relevant gestational followed by continued chronic exposure to the herbicide, atrazine, on motor function, cognition, and neurochemical indices of nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) activity in male rats. Dams were treated with 100 μg/kg atrazine, 10mg/kg atrazine, or vehicle on gestational day 1 through postnatal day 21. Upon weaning, male offspring continued daily vehicle or atrazine gavage treatments for an additional six months.

Dopaminergic mediation of the discriminative stimulus functions of modafinil in rats.

Rationale: Modafinil is a wake-promoting drug with FDA approval for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness that has been prescribed for ADHD and recently assessed as a potential treatment for psychostimulant dependence. Previous research indicates that modafinil modestly increases locomotor activity and produces similar discriminative stimulus effects to psychostimulants in rodents, although the subjective effects of modafinil are reportedly distinct from those of cocaine or amphetamine in humans with a history of psychostimulant abuse.

Objectives: The current study employed drug discrimination procedures in rats to examine the pharmacological actions contributing to modafinil's discriminative stimulus functions.

Behavioral sensitization following concurrent exposure to mephedrone and D-amphetamine in female mice.

Recreational use of illicit methcathinone derivatives is a public health concern in the USA and Europe. Recent reports indicate that mephedrone (MEPH) produces neurochemical and behavioral effects comparable with amphetamines. The present study investigated the effects of a mixture of MEPH and D-amphetamine (AMPH) on the induction and expression of behavioral sensitization.

Combined effects of modafinil and d-amphetamine in male Sprague-Dawley rats trained to discriminate d-amphetamine.

Modafinil is a novel wake-promoting drug with FDA approval for the treatment of sleep-related disorders that has recently been investigated as a potential agonist replacement therapy for psychostimulant dependence. Previous research in animals and humans indicates modafinil has a lower abuse liability than traditional psychostimulants, although few studies have carefully assessed modafinil's stimulus properties in combination with other psychostimulants. The current study trained male Sprague-Dawley rats to discriminate subcutaneous injections of 0.

Modafinil alone and in combination with low dose amphetamine does not establish conditioned place preference in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Modafinil is a novel wake-promoting drug with FDA approval for the treatment of narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder, and sleep apnea. It is also prescribed for many off-label uses such as ADHD and it is currently being assessed as a treatment for psychostimulant dependence. Previous research assessing the abuse liability of modafinil in animals and humans suggests it is less potent and has a low abuse potential compared to traditional psychomotor stimulants.

Effects of altering motivation for food in rats trained with food reinforcement to discriminate between d-amphetamine and saline injections.

Previous studies have shown that altering motivation typically affects stimulus generalization in animals trained to discriminate exteroceptive stimuli, but few studies have evaluated the effects of manipulating motivation on drug stimuli. In the few published studies, motivation levels were manipulated by arranging different feeding conditions prior to stimulus generalization tests with rats trained to discriminate morphine from vehicle and in pigeons trained to discriminate phencyclidine or pentobarbital from vehicle. In the present study, rats maintained at 80% of free-feeding weights were trained to discriminate between injections of 1.

Modulatory effects of low-dose MDMA on cocaine-induced locomotor activity and place conditioning in rats.

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "Ecstasy") is commonly abused by humans in environments such as nightclubs and rave parties where other drugs of abuse are readily available. Despite the popularity of polysubstance abuse among recreational MDMA users, relatively few controlled experimental studies have documented the neurobehavioral effects of MDMA in combination with other abused substances. This study employed conditioned place preference procedures (CPP) to assess the locomotor activating and place conditioning effects of acute concurrent administration of MDMA (1.

Salvinorin B derivatives, EOM-Sal B and MOM-Sal B, produce stimulus generalization in male Sprague-Dawley rats trained to discriminate salvinorin A.

Salvinorin A, the main active component of Salvia divinorum, is a potent and selective κ opioid receptor agonist. Synthetic derivatives of this substance may be useful in the development of medicinal treatments for pain, mood disorders, and drug dependence. Such developments require extensive preclinical screening of these compounds.

Salvinorin A fails to substitute for the discriminative stimulus effects of LSD or ketamine in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Salvia divinorum is a small perennial shrub that has gained recent popularity among the drug-using subculture as a legal alternative to hallucinogens. Salvinorin A, the main active compound found in the S.divinorum plant, is an atypical hallucinogen with pharmacological selectivity at kappa opioid (KOP) receptor sites and is a unique non-nitrogenous neoclerodane diterpene which is structurally distinct from other opioid compounds.

An in vivo microdialysis assessment of concurrent MDMA and cocaine administration in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Background And Rationale: Despite the popularity of polysubstance abuse among recreational methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) users, relatively few controlled experimental studies have documented the neurobehavioral effects of MDMA in combination with other abused substances.

Objective: In this study, the combined acute effects of MDMA and cocaine were examined by conducting in vivo microdialysis in the rat nucleus accumbens while simultaneously monitoring locomotor activity.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered cocaine (10 or 20 mg/kg, i.