REVERSAL LEARNING ENHANCED BY LYSERGIC ACID DIETHYLAMIDE (LSD): CONCOMITANT RISE IN BRAIN 5‐HYDROXYTRYPTAMINE LEVELS
British Journal of Pharmacology November 1, 1974 Alan R. King, Ian L. Martin, Kathleen Melville 38 citations
Low doses of LSD (12.5–50 μg/kg) consistently made rats faster at learning a brightness discrimination reversal task. A similar compound, BOL-148, which has the same anti-serotonin effects outside the brain but lacks LSD's hallucinogenic properties, had no effect on learning at a comparable dose (25 μg/kg). LSD, but not BOL-148, slightly raised serotonin levels in the brain, while neither drug changed brain catecholamine levels at 25 μg/kg. These results suggest that LSD's effect on learning is tied to its specific psychoactive properties, not just its peripheral anti-serotonin activity.