Differential effects of psychostimulants and related agents on dopaminergic and serotonergic transporter function

High-dose administrations of amphetamine, methamphetamine, cathinone, methcathinone or methylenedioxymethamphetamine rapidly decrease dopamine and serotonin transporter function in vivo, as assessed in striatal synaptosomes obtained from drug-treated rats. In contrast, high-dose injections of fenfluramine, cocaine or methylphenidate had little or no effect on the activity of these transporters. Interestingly, the capacity of these agents to directly alter dopamine and serotonin uptake, as assessed in vitro by direct application to rat striatal synaptosomes, did not predict their potential to modulate transporter activity following in vivo administration. These findings demonstrate heretofore-unreported differences in the effects of these agents on monoamine transporter function, and a distinction between drug effects after direct application in vitro vs. administration in vivo.