A study of the role of noradrenaline in behavioural changes produced in the rat by psychotomimetic drugs
British Journal of Pharmacology February 1, 1969 Michael F. Sugrue 40 citations
Three psychoactive drugs—LSD-25, psilocybin, and JB-329—reduced noradrenaline levels in the rat hypothalamus. They also affected how quickly rats learned a conditioned avoidance response: LSD-25 and psilocybin slowed learning, while JB-329 sped it up. For LSD-25 and psilocybin, doses that altered learning were lower than those needed to lower hypothalamic noradrenaline, and the peak effect on learning occurred about 1.5 hours after injection, compared to 3 hours for noradrenaline content. The dose causing gross behavioral excitation matched the dose that depleted noradrenaline. Pretreatment with reserpine or α-MT did not change the intensity of excitation from LSD-25 or psilocybin but shortened its duration; JB-329's excitation was abolished by reserpine and reduced by α-MT.