Abstract
PREVIOUS studies have indicated that the central excitant action of d-amphetamine is the result of direct activation of the brain stem reticular formation1,2. It has been suggested that amphetamine acts on the central nervous system by releasing noradrenaline from presynaptic sites3; and in fact noradrenaline release follows intracisternal administration of d-amphetamine4, and histochemical studies have demonstrated the existence of nerve terminals containing noradrenaline in the brain stem reticular formation5. Studies of the effects of iontophoretically applied noradrenaline to single neurones in the cat brain stem have shown that both excitation and inhibition can occur6, and that these actions of noradrenaline are closely mimicked by iontophoretically applied d-amphetamine7. This could result either from release of endogenous noradrenaline or from a direct effect of amphetamine. Pretreatment with reserpine reduces concentrations of brain amines; the actions of iontophoretically applied l-noradrenaline (l-NA) and d-amphetamine to single neurones in the brain stem have therefore been compared in reserpinized and untreated rats.
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BOAKES, R., BRADLEY, P. & CANDY, J. Abolition of the Response of Brain Stem Neurones to Iontophoretically Applied d-Amphetamine by Reserpine. Nature 229, 496–498 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/229496a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/229496a0
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