Performance Enhancement.
Abstract
Work thus far has focused on a class of tricylic antidepressants (TADS) whose action has a gradual onset associated with the metabolic response to the drugs. Chronic treatment of rats with TADS sensitized synaptosomal adenylate cyclase (AC) to activation with guanyl nucleotides. The research has attempted to describe anatomical and functional localization of the response, probe the biochemical mechanism of observed effects; and look for behavioral correlates of biochemical changes. An interesting finding is that unlike the hypothalamic or cortical enzyme, enzyme, cerebellar synaptosomal AC is not sensitized to nucleotide activation. Other TAD associated changes are seen in cerebellum. A number of plausible biochemical mechanisms for the observed TAD responses have been investigated, and several additional possibilities have been identified. The precise mechanisms involved remains unclear. Several behavioral tests were employed to attempt to quantify observed behavioral differences between control and TAD-treated animals. The most significant observed differences was in the range and variance of responses between groups. More sophisticated and sensitive experimental paradigms are being developed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA144941
Entities
People
- J. S. George
- M. W. Bitensky
Organizations
- Los Alamos National Laboratory