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Rosecrans JA, Krynock GM, Newlon P, Chance WT, Kallman M. 
“Central Mechanisms of Drugs as Discriminative Stimuli; Involvement of Serotonin Pathways”. 
Psychopharmacology. 1978;58(2):9.
Abstract
The possibility that the discriminative stimulus (DS) control of behavior elicited by certain psychoactive agents may be mediated by central pathways was studied. The role of serotonin systems in the mechanisms of action of both LSD and morphine was assessed. Experiments were conducted in which these amine systems were manipulated (pharmacologically or neurophysiologically) in rats trained to discriminate either LSD or morphine using a 2-lever operant procedure (VI-15 see schedule of reinforcement). Additional experiments using the same DS procedure also evaluated the effects of drugs administered to the periaquaductal gray (PAG). The results of these studies indicated the following: (1) LSD may be acting via an inhibition of presynaptic PAG sites; this effect may reflect an LSD-agonism at serotonin receptors located within the PAG; (2) morphine's DS effect appears to reflect an agonist effect at similar LSD-sensitive sites, but may involve a different set of serotonin receptors.
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