Possible storage of (+)-amphetamine in catecholaminergic terminals of the striatum and brainstem

Regional distribution of methamphetamine in autopsied brain of chronic human methamphetamine users

We measured levels of methamphetamine and those of its metabolite amphetamine in 15 autopsied brain regions of 14 human methamphetamine users. Only slight regional differences were observed in drug concentrations among the brain areas. Although, some redistribution of the drugs probably occurred postmortem, these data suggest that methamphetamine might not be preferentially retained in dopamine-rich brain areas but is heterogenously distributed in brain of chronic human users of the drug. The possible pharmacological actions of methamphetamine in both dopamine-rich and poor brain areas of chronic drug users need to be considered.

Amphetamine-stimulated release of endogenous dopamine from the rat caudate nucleus in vivo

The in vivo release of endogenous dopamine (DA) has been measured from the rat caudate nucleus. A push-pull cannula was implanted into the brain and the tissue was perfused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) containing amphetamine in concentrations ranging from 5 X 10(-3) to 5 X 10(-7) M. The DA released into the perfusate was determined by a radioenzymatic procedure. DA release was increased to levels significantly above its resting rate by amphetamine concentrations of 5 X 10(-6) M or greater. Release stimulated by 5 X 10(-5) M amphetamine was significantly reduced by removing calcium from the perfusing fluid; the unstimulated release rate was not significantly affected. The concentrations of amphetamine required to increase DA release in vivo would appear to be similar to those found in the brain following intraperitoneal doses which produce increases in locomotor activity and stereotyped behavior.

Opposed stages of continuous amphetamine administration: parallel alterations in motor stereotypies and in vivo spiroperidol accumulation

Rats pretreated with different regimens of chronic d-amphetamine (d-Amp) administration were injected 24 h after cessation of chronic d-Amp with either d-Amp (to test the degree to which it now elicited motor stereotypies) or with [3H]spiroperidol (to study in vivo accumulation in 7 brain regions). Rats pretreated with 28 daily injections of d-Amp subsequently evidenced heightened stereotypies to d-Amp whereas other rats pretreated with the same amount of d-Amp for 28 days using slow-release pellets showed decreased stereotypies to d-Amp. In neither of these chronic groups was spiroperidol accumulation altered. But the administration of d-Amp continuously over briefer periods induced large and phasic alterations in both d-Amp induced stereotypes and in spiroperidol accumulation. Rats given continuous d-Amp for 24 h, allowed a 24 h drug-free period, and then injected evidenced a large potentiation of both stereotypies and in vivo accumulation of spiroperidol in the caudate nucleus, whereas after 5 days of continuous d-Amp administration rats showed attenuated stereotypies and decreased [3H]spiroperidol accumulation in the caudate, accumbens, and substantia nigra. These results imply that brief periods of continuous d-Amp administration produce large and phasic changes in dopamine systems.

Enhanced responsiveness to intraventricular infusion of amphetamine following its repeated systemic administration

Previous studies have demonstrated that long-term administration of d-amphetamine produces a progressive augmentation of behavior. In the present experiment, rats receiving repeated systemic injections responded to an intraventricular infusion of d-amphetamine with an augmented increase in locomotor activity. These results indicate that central mechanisms, rather than peripheral dispositional factors, subserve the enhanced behavioral response to repeated amphetamine administration.

Distribution and localization of p-hydroxy-d-amphetamine in rat brain

p-Hydroxy-d-amphetamine (p-OHdA) penetrates the blood--brain barrier poorly, when given acutely or by repeated systemic treatments, or when formed by biotransformation from administered d-amphetamine. However its distribution is relatively selective as it accumulates in the striatum more than in the brainstem. The rate of disappearance also differs in the two areas, being slower in the striatum than in the brainstem. These findings suggest that p-OHdA might be stored in different compartments. To check whether p-OHdA specificially accumulated in nerve terminals, catecholaminergic nerve endings were destroyed with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). It has been shown that p-HOdA accumulates much less in the striatum of 6-OHDA-treated rats than of controls. This effect was not present in the brainstem. Accumulation of p-OHdA was similar after repeated d-amphetamine administration. The results are interpreted as showing that p-OHdA tends to accumulate in dopaminergic structures.

Long-term changes in dopaminergic innervation of caudate nucleus after continuous amphetamine administration

Silicone pellets containing d-amphetamine base were implanted subcutaneously in rats. These pellets release amphetamine continuously for at least 10 days. Several days after implantation, swollen dopamine axons concomitant with large decreases in tyrosine hydroxylase activity were observed in the caudate nucleus. Decreased tyrosine hydroxylase activity was still present 110 days after pellet removal in the caudate but not in several other brain regions, nor in the caudate of rats injected with an equivalent amount of amphetamine in daily injections. This implies that continuous amphetamine administration has a selective neurotoxic effect on dopamine terminals in the caudate.