title: Desoxypipradrol is more potent than cocaine on evoked dopamine efflux in the nucleus accumbens.
abstract: Desoxypipradrol is a methylphenidate-like drug that has been recently found in a number of 'legal highs'. Evidence from emergency room toxicology reports suggests that this drug might have led to a number of psychotic events in drug abusers in the UK and elsewhere. However, very little research has been done on the effects of this drug on the brain. Here we used rat brain slices from the nucleus accumbens core, which were exposed to either cocaine (1, 3 or 10 µM) or desoxypipradrol (1, 3 or 10 µM) for 60 min. Dopamine efflux was electrically evoked and recorded using fast cyclic voltammetry. Both drugs increased the peak dopamine efflux and also slowed dopamine re-uptake. Desoxypipradrol was more potent than cocaine causing a sevenfold increase in peak dopamine levels (versus a threefold increase for cocaine) and increasing dopamine re-uptake half-life 15-fold (versus fivefold for cocaine). These data suggest that desoxypipradrol is more potent than cocaine at dopamine terminals, and this could account for its psychotogenic effects.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Science, St George's, University of London, London, UK. cdavidso@sgul.ac.uk
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramsey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D054351:Electrical Synapses / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000494:pharmacology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010880:Piperidines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D010880:Piperidines; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; C000468:deoxypipradrol; D003042:Cocaine; D004298:Dopamine