Lack of synergism and cross tolerance between tactile stimulus- and LSD-induced limb flicking in the cat

Abstract

The hypotheses that LSD-induced limb flicking, as well as tolerance to this behavioral effect following repeated drug administration, are due to alterations in somatosensory thresholds were tested by examining the rate of limb flicking to LSD alone, saline plus water on the limbs, or LSD plus water on the limbs, and by comparing the limb flick rate with water on the limbs in drug tolerant versus non-tolerant conditions. Cats exhibited the same rate of limb flicking in response to water on the limbs regardless of whether they were pretreated with saline of LSD. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the tactile stimulus-induced rate of limb flicking in the tolerant versus non-tolerant states. These data suggest that LSD-induced limb flicking is not simply a function of drug-induced altered somatosensory thresholds, but is apparently reflective of more complex neural processes.