Ryan Taylor, Eric Denette, Ellie Walter-Goodspeed, Tom Byrne
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
In recent years, the recreational use of xylazine has increased dramatically in the USA. Although xylazine has been used as an anesthetic in veterinary medicine for decades, little is known about its behavioral effects. We took advantage of the planarian's innate negative phototaxis, the reliable movement from the light side to the dark side of a Petri dish, to explore the organism's suitability as an animal model for investigating the preclinical pharmacology of xylazine. In two experiments, we tested the effects of several doses of xylazine on locomotion by recording the latency to transition into an opaque area. Xylazine disrupted locomotion in a dose-dependent fashion. Larger doses first produced a period of hyperkinesia without forward motion. This was followed by a period of sedation. Physical stimulation disrupted sedation and evoked the resumption of locomotion. Data on the behavioral effects of xylazine outside of anesthesia and sedation are limited; therefore, the current study adds to a relatively small literature on the behavioral effects of xylazine.
期刊介绍:
Behavioural Pharmacology accepts original full and short research reports in diverse areas ranging from ethopharmacology to the pharmacology of schedule-controlled operant behaviour, provided that their primary focus is behavioural. Suitable topics include drug, chemical and hormonal effects on behaviour, the neurochemical mechanisms under-lying behaviour, and behavioural methods for the study of drug action. Both animal and human studies are welcome; however, studies reporting neurochemical data should have a predominantly behavioural focus, and human studies should not consist exclusively of clinical trials or case reports. Preference is given to studies that demonstrate and develop the potential of behavioural methods, and to papers reporting findings of direct relevance to clinical problems. Papers making a significant theoretical contribution are particularly welcome and, where possible and merited, space is made available for authors to explore fully the theoretical implications of their findings. Reviews of an area of the literature or at an appropriate stage in the development of an author’s own work are welcome. Commentaries in areas of current interest are also considered for publication, as are Reviews and Commentaries in areas outside behavioural pharmacology, but of importance and interest to behavioural pharmacologists. Behavioural Pharmacology publishes frequent Special Issues on current hot topics. The editors welcome correspondence about whether a paper in preparation might be suitable for inclusion in a Special Issue.