Abstract
Summary We have compared the effects of D - and L -amphetamine on the disposition of intraventricularly administered [3H]norepinephrine and [3H]dopamine and on endogenous catecholamine in various regions of the rat brain. In behavioral experiments the effects of D - and L -amphetamine on locomotor activity and on compulsive gnawing behavior were also compared. In brain areas where norepinephrine is the predominant catecholamine, D -amphetamine but not its L -isomer inhibited [3H]catecholamine accumulation and lowered endogenous norepinephrine levels. In the corpus striatum, a dopaminergic brain region, both D - and L -amphetamine markedly reduced accumulation of [3H]catecholamines. D -Amphetamine was 10 times as potent as L -amphetamine in enhancing locomotor activity, but was only twice as active in evoking compulsive gnawing behavior. Our results suggest that brain norepinephrine is selectively involved in mediating amphetamine-induced locomotor stimulation while a dopaminergic component may participate in eliciting the compulsive gnawing syndrome.
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