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Related Experiment Videos

Global 5-HT depletion attenuates the ability of amphetamine to decrease impulsive choice on a delay-discounting task

Catharine A Winstanley1, Jeffrey W Dalley1, David E H Theobald1

  • 1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.

Psychopharmacology
|September 5, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Amphetamine reduces impulsive behavior in rats, but this effect depends on serotonin. Forebrain serotonin depletion, caused by 5,7-DHT, attenuated amphetamine's ability to decrease impulsivity, suggesting serotonin plays a key role.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Psychomotor stimulants like amphetamine reduce impulsivity in ADHD patients.
  • While dopamine is the primary target, serotonin's role in amphetamine's calming effect is increasingly recognized.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if forebrain serotonin depletion impacts amphetamine's efficacy in reducing impulsive choice in rats.
  • To measure impulsive choice using a delayed reward task, assessing the preference for smaller immediate rewards over larger delayed ones.

Main Methods:

  • Rats underwent behavioral training and received intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusions of either vehicle or the neurotoxin 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) to deplete serotonin.
  • Post-surgery, animals received intraperitoneal (i.p.) d-amphetamine at various doses, alone or co-administered with the dopamine antagonist cis-z-flupenthixol.

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Main Results:

  • 5,7-DHT infusion depleted forebrain serotonin by over 85% but did not alter choice behavior on its own.
  • Amphetamine decreased impulsivity, an effect significantly attenuated by serotonin depletion, especially in highly impulsive rats.
  • The dopamine antagonist abolished amphetamine's effect in the serotonin-depleted group, but only partially attenuated it in controls.

Conclusions:

  • Amphetamine's impulsivity-reducing effects are not solely mediated by dopaminergic systems.
  • Serotonergic neurotransmission is crucial for the full expression of amphetamine's anti-impulsivity action.
  • These findings highlight the complex interplay between serotonin and dopamine in mediating stimulant drug effects on behavior.