title: Discriminative stimulus properties of local anesthetics in d-amphetamine- and pentobarbital-trained pigeons.
abstract: Pigeons were trained to discriminate either d-amphetamine (1.7 mg/kg, IM) or pentobarbital (10 mg/kg, IM) from saline in a two-key, food-reinforced drug discrimination paradigm. Cocaine, procaine, and lidocaine were administered before test sessions to determine if these local anesthetics shared discriminative stimulus (DS) properties with either training drug. Cocaine (0.1-3.0 mg/kg) substituted for d-amphetamine in all 4 birds from the d-amphetamine-trained group. Procaine (3.0-56 mg/kg) substituted in 3 of the 4 birds from this group, and lidocaine (3.0-30 mg/kg) did not substitute in any bird. In contrast, cocaine, procaine, and lidocaine did not substitute for pentobarbital in any bird in the pentobarbital-trained group. These results suggest that the DS properties of some local anesthetics may be similar to those of psychomotor stimulants. Further, although some local anesthetics may have sedative-like actions, apparently these are not the basis of their DS effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, IL 60637.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Zacny
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Woolverton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010856:Columbidae; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005795:Generalization, Stimulus / Q000502:physiology; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D011343:Procaine / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D011343:Procaine; D008012:Lidocaine; D010424:Pentobarbital; D003042:Cocaine; D003913:Dextroamphetamine