Further analysis of the resistance of the diabetic rat to d-amphetamine

Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1978 Mar;8(3):281-6. doi: 10.1016/0091-3057(78)90317-9.

Abstract

Rats that were made diabetic by the subcutaneous injection of alloxan monohydrate were found to be resistant to the anorexic action of d-amphetamine. This resistance to amphetamine anorexia did not appear attributable to an increased hunger motivation of the diabetic rats, but rather seemed due to a diminished action of the drug in alloxan-injected animals. This conclusion was supported by further experiments indicating that alloxan-injected rats show diminished locomotor activity and stereotyped behavior following amphetamine administration. Furthermore, the amphetamine resistance appears to be the result of the diabetic state, since amphetamine-induced stereotyped behavior could be reinstated in alloxan-injected rats by the administration of protamine zinc insulin for ten days. The results of these investigations suggest that there exists an altered central nervous system response to d-amphetamine in the diabetic rat. These possibility of an abnormal functioning of central catecholamine-containing neurons in such animals is discussed.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal / drug effects*
  • Dextroamphetamine / pharmacology*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / physiopathology*
  • Drug Resistance
  • Feeding Behavior / drug effects
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Insulin, Long-Acting / pharmacology
  • Motor Activity / drug effects
  • Rats
  • Stereotyped Behavior / drug effects
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Insulin, Long-Acting
  • Dextroamphetamine