The Neurophysiological Effects of Amphetamine Upon the Cat Amygdala

Abstract

Changes in the brain catecholamines (CA), norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA) and serotonin, are related to changes in affective behavior. Fluctuation in the synthesis, storage and turnover of these molecules has been demonstrated in different behavioral states and, conversely, different behavioral states have been produced by administering drugs which modify the uptake, metabolism, or degradation of such amines. It is thought that behavioral changes depend upon neural activity and anatomical areas important to affective states were grouped by Paul MacLean into the Limbic System. Understanding the role of CA in the limbic system is crucial to the understanding of the neurochemical basis for affective behavior. To this end, we are studying the influence of amphetamine upon electrophysiological relationships between the amygdala, septal nucleus, and hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus (HVM). The anatomical localization of NE, its effects on behavior thought to be referable to the amygdala, and the neuro-pharmacologic relationship between amphetamine and NE will first be discussed.