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Dopamine receptor contribution to the action of PCP, LSD and ketamine psychotomimetic

C6H6

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Mol Psychiatry. 2005 Apr 26; [Epub ahead of print]

Dopamine receptor contribution to the action of PCP, LSD and ketamine psychotomimetics.

Seeman P, Ko F, Tallerico T.

[1] 1Department of Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada [2] 2Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Although phencyclidine and ketamine are used to model a hypoglutamate theory of schizophrenia, their selectivity for NMDA receptors has been questioned. To determine the affinities of phencyclidine, ketamine, dizocilpine and LSD for the functional high-affinity state of the dopamine D2 receptor, D2(High), their dissociation constants (K(i)) were obtained on [(3)H]domperidone binding to human cloned dopamine D2 receptors. Phencyclidine had a high affinity for D2(High) with a K(i) of 2.7 nM, in contrast to its low affinity for the NMDA receptor, with a K(i) of 313 nM, as labeled by [(3)H]dizocilpine on rat striatal tissue. Ketamine also had a high affinity for D2(High) with a K(i) of 55 nM, an affinity higher than its 3100 nM K(i) for the NMDA sites. Dizocilpine had a K(i) of 0.3 nM at D2(High), but a K(d) of 1.8 nM at the NMDA receptor. LSD had a K(i) of 2 nM at D2(High). Because the psychotomimetics had higher potency at D2(High) than at the NMDA site, the psychotomimetic action of these drugs must have a major contribution from D2 agonism. Because these drugs have a combined action on both dopamine receptors and NMDA receptors, these drugs, when given in vivo, test a combined hyperdopamine and hypoglutamate theory of psychosis.Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication, 26 April 2005; doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001682.

PMID: 15852061
 
I think there is a very serious problem here: The use of the term "psychotomimetic".

I would say, by this research, we can only conclude that D2 agonism empowers the nominally-constructed term "psychotomimetic".

In truth though, the actions of all four drugs on the psyche are radically different, and are also different from person to person - that goes without saying that "psychosis" here (or mimesis thereof) is also nominally constructed by the ideological circle that came up with this research and allowed it to be published.

I think I am suffering the side-effects of 2nd year sociology finals :P
 
Very interesting... I wish I knew a bit more about binding... I'm sure the amount of agitation the membranes get effects a lot of things, because the smaller the membrane bubble that forms when the binding if calculated, the less other factors (psuedo-intracellular) stuff should effect it.

Also, do they actually show that it is an agonist?

Jamshyd, don't get fancy in here... they saypsychotomimetic becaus a) these drugs do make you crazy in a way, b) everyone calls them that c) they are used to model psychotic states.

It does maybe hint a bit why pure NMDA antagonists are so fucking boring (I had geussed it was sigma related before)
 
Hold on.. I thought, historically, that the psychomimetic theory, at least for LSD, had been dropped because of the subjective effects - e.g. schizophrenia is mainly auditory as opposed to visual hallucinations, and extreme "self-othering" (as opposed to the "other-selfing" of ego loss).

Are PCP and ketamine now considered good models for psychosis? Are there references to this?

S.
 
It depends on who you ask... people use chronic amphetamine and all kinds of stupid models... but yes, I think you're right, 5-HT2A receptor agonists aren't used that often... but people really do ketamine/pcp as models.. like this one:
Northoff G, Richter A, Bermpohl F, Grimm S, Martin E, Marcar VL, Wahl C, Hell D, Boeker H.
NMDA hypofunction in the posterior cingulate as a model for schizophrenia: an exploratory ketamine administration study in fMRI.
Schizophr Res. 2005 Jan 1;72(2-3):235-48.

Also, I found that the article isn't the first time someone has shown this:
Kapur S, Seeman P.
NMDA receptor antagonists ketamine and PCP have direct effects on the dopamine D(2) and serotonin 5-HT(2)receptors-implications for models of schizophrenia.
Mol Psychiatry. 2002;7(8):837-44
 
Re: Dopamine receptor contribution to the action of PCP, LSD and ketamine psychotomimetic

C6H6 said:
Because the psychotomimetics had higher potency at D2(High) than at the NMDA site, the psychotomimetic action of these drugs must have a major contribution from D2 agonism.

Worst Logic Ever! Also appears to contradict second- and third- hand reports of NMDA use whilst on antipsychotics (w/ D2 antagonism).
 
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Bilzor, I agree with leung here that the logic is very flawed.

Even if we leave semantics and comical criticism out of it :).

"Because the sun was observed to go in circles around the earth rather than the other way around, these observations are a major contribution to the idea that the sun revolves around the earth".

I just personally think that this is a very, very poor study in more ways than one... May I add that it reeks of that-old-obsession-with-dopamine-that-we-all-know-about.

Don't you agree? :)
 
Not really... As in all behavioural pharmacology, it all depends on how this are scored and how things are given.

For instance, if they given ketamine to an animal, and score some type of sterotypy as the measure of psychotisism, and then they show that antipsychotics inhibit the stereotypy, well that means that the D2 link is very important, as that behaviour is probably caused by D2 receptor activation. Also, if they give ketamine, and it has an affinity for D2 of ~1µM and NMDA 100µM, and the plasma concentration reaches 5µM... then the D2 effect is very important, and then NMDA effect means nothing... but if the minimal concetration for "psychotic" effects is 50µM then it means that the NMDA receptor is the important target.
 
There's nothing behavioural about this study. It's just stating that D2's got a higher affinity. Binding affinities don't show ketamine's pharmacology as the key do schizophrenia.
 
No, of course not, but what I'm saying is that the logic could be good, depending on the results of those questions.
 
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