On the mechanism which mediates the effects of long-term administration of fencamfamine in rats

ABSTRACT

This study analyzes the changes in the sensitivity of striatal dopaminergic (DA) receptors to apomorphine following withdrawal from long-term treatment with fencamfamine (10 mg/kg, for 40 days). Fencamfamine treatment decreased (34.8 + or - 3.2 vs 25.8 + or - 2.8,P<0.05) the stereotyped behavior induced by apomorfhine (2.0 mg/kg, sc), but potentiated the effect of apomorphine (0.02 mg/kg, sc) in reducing the striatal levels of homovanillic acid (HVA) (0.41 + or - 0.02 micron g/g vs 0.31 + or - 0.03 microng/g, P<0.01) and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) (0.45 + or - 0.04 microng/g vs 0.34 + or - 0.03 microng/g, P<0.01). These results suggest that changes in pre- or postsynaptic DA receptors may underlie the tolerance and sensitization to the effects of fencamfamine