The Response to Acoustic Stimulation and the Changes in Brain Amine Levels after Repeated Administration of .BETA.-Phenylethylamine in Rats.

Abstract

Reverse tolerance to stereotyped behavior was induced after repeated administration of beta-phenylethylamine (PEA) (50 mg/kg, i.p., daily for 10 days) in rats. The reverse tolerance was maintained for at least 4 weeks after the last administration. We studied the effects of acoustic stimulation on locomotor activity 2 days and 4 weeks after withdrawal from PEA and measured the changes in brain monoamine levels 4 weeks after the withdrawal. Locomotor activity during acoustic stimulation was increased in the saline treated group, and this response was unaffected after repeated PEA treatment. Four weeks after withdrawal, significant increases in noradrenaline levels in the cerebral cortex and decreases in 5-hydroxytryptamine levels in the hypothalamus were found. The effects of acoustic stimulation on locomotor activity and the changes in brain monoamine levels were different from those of methamphetamine treatment obtained in our previous study. In conclusion, it may be suggested that the response to acoustic stimulation after repeated PEA administration in rats cannot be a model for abnormal responsiveness to environmental stimulation that is observed in chronic paranoid schizophrenics.