Faculty Advisor

Dr. Lisa Baker

Department

Psychology

Presentation Date

4-13-2016

Document Type

Poster

Abstract

  • The hallucinogenic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) have been largely attributed to its high affinity for 5-HT2A receptors. However, LSD also has a high affinity at several other monoamine receptors (Nichols, 2004; Passie et al., 2008).
  • The contribution of dopaminergic mechanisms to LSD’s behavioral effects have not been investigated to the same extent that serotonergic mechanism have been studied. Some authors have hypothesized that chronic treatment of rats with LSD may produce a persistent behavioral state characterized by sensitivity to dopamine agonists (Marona-Lewicka and Nichols, 2007).
  • Repeated exposure to psychostimulant drugs is known to produce progressive increases in locomotor activity known as behavioral sensitization. Moreover, the expression of behavioral sensitization is correlated with changes in mesolimbic dopamine activity (Robinson and Berridge, 1993).
  • The current study implemented a repeated dosing paradigm previously shown to produce behavioral sensitization to psychostimulants to test the hypothesis that repeated LSD treatment would enhance sensitivity to a subsequent challenge with a dopamine agonist.
  • The main objective was to determine if repeated exposure to LSD alters the locomotor stimulant effects of a low dose of d-amphetamine.

Available for download on Thursday, April 16, 2026

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