Mephedrone ('bath salt') elicits conditioned place preference and dopamine-sensitive motor activation.

Abuse of a dangerous street drug called mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone) has become commonplace in the United States. Mephedrone is hypothesized to possess abuse liability, share pharmacological properties with psychostimulants, and display toxicity that has been linked to fatalities and non-fatal overdoses. Knowledge about the pharmacology of mephedrone has been obtained primarily from surveys of drug abusers and emergency room visits rather than experimental studies.

Icilin-evoked behavioral stimulation is attenuated by alpha₂-adrenoceptor activation.

Icilin is a transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M (TRPM8) agonist that produces behavioral activation in rats and mice. Its hallmark overt pharmacological effect is wet-dog shakes (WDS) in rats. The vigorous shaking associated with icilin is dependent on NMDA receptor activation and nitric oxide production, but little else is known about the biological systems that modulate the behavioral phenomenon.

CNS effects of developmental Pb exposure are enhanced by combined maternal and offspring stress.

Lead (Pb) exposure and elevated stress are co-occurring risk factors. Both impact brain mesolimbic dopamine/glutamate systems involved in cognitive functions. We previously found that maternal stress can potentiate Pb-related adverse effects in offspring at blood Pb levels averaging approximately 40 microg/dl.

Lifetime consequences of combined maternal lead and stress.

Elevated lead (Pb) exposure and high stress both target low socio-economic status populations. Both also act on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Pb disrupts cognition through effects on the mesocorticolimbic dopamine pathway.