Generalization of serotonin and dopamine ligands to the discriminative stimulus effects of different doses of ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine

Behav Pharmacol. 2017 Jun;28(4):245-254. doi: 10.1097/FBP.0000000000000282.

Abstract

Studies that have attributed the discriminative stimulus effects of ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) to serotonergic mechanisms typically use a relatively low training dose of 1.5 mg/kg. The role of serotonin in the discriminative stimulus effects of higher doses of MDMA is, however, unknown. Separate groups of rats were trained to discriminate MDMA (1.5 or 3.0 mg/kg) from saline using a two-lever, food-reinforced drug-discrimination procedure. Generalization tests were carried out with a range of serotonin and dopamine ligands. Fluoxetine (0.3-3 mg/kg), clomipramine (1-10 mg/kg) and meta-chlorophenylpiperazine (0.3-2 mg/kg) dose-dependently substituted for the 1.5 mg/kg MDMA stimulus, but not the 3.0 mg/kg MDMA stimulus. 8-OH-DPAT (0.03-0.3 mg/kg) and RU-24969 (0.3-3 mg/kg) substituted for both the low-dose and the high-dose MDMA stimulus. The generalization dose-effect curve produced by 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (0.3-3 mg/kg) was shifted to the right for the 3.0 mg/kg MDMA-trained group. Amphetamine (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg) and apomorphine (0.125 and 0.25 mg/kg) substituted for the 3.0 mg/kg, but not the 1.5 mg/kg MDMA stimulus. The results suggest some differences in the role of serotonin and dopamine in the discriminative stimulus effects of a low versus a higher dose of MDMA.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Discrimination Learning / drug effects*
  • Dopamine / metabolism*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Hallucinogens / administration & dosage
  • Hallucinogens / pharmacology
  • Ligands
  • Male
  • N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / administration & dosage
  • N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / pharmacology*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Reinforcement Schedule
  • Serotonin / metabolism*

Substances

  • Hallucinogens
  • Ligands
  • Serotonin
  • N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine
  • Dopamine