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The antiparkinsonian agent l-deprenyl, a selective monoamine oxidase (MAO)-B inhibitor, is metabolized in part to l-methamphetamine and l-amphetamine. l< /I>-Deprenyl was evaluated for amphetamine and methamphetamine-like discriminative stimulus effects in rats and its mechanism of action was investigated. Rats were trained under a 5-response, fixed ratio schedule of stimulus-shock termination or a 10-response. Fixed-ratio schedule of food-presentation which discriminate between d-amphetamine (1mg/kg, i.p.) and saline or d-methamphetamine (1mg/kg, i.p.) and saline in a two-lever, operant conditioning procedure. Full generalization was obtained to d-amphetamine (1~3mg/kg). d-methamphetamine (1~3mg/kg) and l-deprenyl (17~30mg/kg) under both the food presentation and stimulus shock termination schedule. l-Deprenyl has dose-dependent amphetamine-and methamphetamine-like discriminative stimulus properties in rats only at doses of 17 and 30mg/kg. Reversible MAO-B inhibitor, RO 16-6491 didn`t show any amphetamine-like discriminative properties. Aromatic amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor, NSD 1015 decreased % responding of l-deprenyl in the methamphetamine-trained rats under the stimulus-shock termination schedule. SKF-525A produced partial inhibition of methamphetamine-like discriminative effects of l-deprenyl under the food presentation schedule. These results suggest that l-deprenyl has no abuse liability at the therapeutic range but there needs some caution at high doses and furthermore, drug discrimination studies under the food presentation and shock termination schedule are useful for the assessment of abuse liability of psychostimulants.
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