Effects of acute administration of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine upon the latency and duration of post-decapitation convulsions.

An injection of the serotonin agonist drug 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine in rats lengthened both the time until and the duration of convulsions triggered by decapitation, starting at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg. Pretreatment with the serotonin antagonist methergoline (2.0 mg/kg) partially blocked these effects. Long-term administration of p-chloroamphetamine or p-chlorophenylalanine did not counteract the drug's effects but independently prolonged convulsion duration. The authors suggest the method may be useful for studying serotonin receptor mechanisms.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The effect of acute administration of rats with the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) agonist drug 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine on the convulsions released by decapitation was examined. The postsynaptic agonist, 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, prolonged the latency and duration from the 0.5 mg/kg dose upwards. Methergoline, 2.0 mg/kg intraperitoneally injected immediately prior to 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, caused some considerable blockade of the effects of the 5-HT agonist on post-decapitation convulsions (PDG's). Long-term p-chloroamphetamine (2x10 mg/kg) and p-chlorophenylalanine (1 x 300 mg/kg) did not antagonise the 5-methoxy-N-N-dimethyltryptamine induced changes of PDC's but, by themselves, prolonged PDC duration. The utility of the 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine-PDC method for studying 5-HT receptor mechanisms may be worth considering.