Lysergic Acid Diethylamide- and Mescaline-Induced Attenuation of the Effect of Punishment in the Rat
Science May 21, 1976 Ronald I. Schoenfeld 118 citations
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), at doses as low as 1 microgram per kilogram of body weight, reduced the suppressive effect of electric shock on rats' licking behavior. Mescaline produced a similar attenuation of punishment, while dimethyltryptamine and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol did not. Drugs that interfere with serotonin-containing neurons, cyproheptadine and α-propyldopacetamide, had comparable behavioral effects, suggesting that LSD and mescaline may attenuate punishment by decreasing the activity of these neurons.