title: Amphetamine-like discriminative stimulus effects of ephedrine and its stereoisomers in pigeons.
abstract: This study assessed the discriminative stimulus effects of (+/-)-ephedrine and its stereoisomers in pigeons discriminating 1.0 mg/kg of amphetamine from saline. Amphetamine, (+/-)-, (-)-, and (+)-ephedrine, and cocaine occasioned greater than 80% drug-key responding with the following rank order of potency: amphetamine > cocaine > (-)-ephedrine > or = (+/-)-ephedrine > or = (+)-ephedrine. Neither the alpha-adrenergic antagonist, phentolamine, nor the beta-adrenergic antagonist, propranolol, antagonized the effects of amphetamine or (+/-)-ephedrine. In contrast, the dopamine receptor antagonist, haloperidol, antagonized the discriminative stimulus effects of amphetamine and (+/-)-ephedrine as well as those of (-)- and (+)-ephedrine. These results indicate that, like cocaine, (+/-)-ephedrine and its stereoisomers share discriminative stimulus effects with amphetamine. Moreover, these effects appear to be the result of increased activity in dopaminergic systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 78229-3900, USA.
authors.forename: N Eser
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Ercil
authors.forename: Charles P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: France
mesh_terms: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000661:Amphetamine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010856:Columbidae; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004809:Ephedrine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000494:pharmacology; D010646:Phentolamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011433:Propranolol / Q000494:pharmacology; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D011433:Propranolol; D000661:Amphetamine; D004809:Ephedrine; D006220:Haloperidol; D010646:Phentolamine