Scalp and depth electroencephalography were used to investigate the effects of mescaline, LSD-25, and adrenochrome on brain activity. Previous work had shown that chlorpromazine reverses mescaline- and LSD-induced psychoses clinically but with minimal conventional EEG changes, and these drugs failed to activate temporal-lobe epilepsy. Depth electrography was pursued to better capture drug effects, including adrenochrome's reported ability to induce psychosis without insight in volunteers and increase paroxysmal discharges in epileptics' EEGs. The study aimed to clarify these neurophysiological actions through more sensitive recording techniques.
Injecting drugs directly into the brain's ventricles can produce complex behavioral changes in cats, including sleep-like states, muscle weakness, catatonia, and convulsions. This method allows researchers to study how chemicals interact within the central nervous system. Of particular interest is the possible antagonism between lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and serotonin, which had previously been shown to affect smooth muscle. This antagonism may be relevant to schizophrenia, as suggested by Woolley and Shaw. Other drugs of behavioral interest include mescaline and adrenochrome.