Psychopharmacology
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Comparative Study
Mechanism of action of the bimodal antidepressant vilazodone: evidence for serotonin1A-receptor-mediated auto-augmentation of extracellular serotonin output.
The recently approved antidepressant vilazodone, a serotonin (5-HT)1A receptor partial agonist/selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitor offers new possibilities to study the underlying mechanisms of depression pharmacotherapy and of 5-HT augmenting antidepressants. ⋯ In spite of high intrinsic 5-HT1A activity in reserpinized rats, the net effect of vilazodone at release-regulating 5-HT1A autoreceptors must be inhibitory, leading to markedly increased 5-HT output. Another possibility is that vilazodone rapidly desensitizes autoinhibitory 5-HT1A receptors by an unknown mechanism.
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Chronic amphetamine treatment reduces cocaine self-administration in pre-clinical and clinical settings, and amphetamine has been proposed as a candidate medication for treatment of cocaine abuse. ⋯ These data suggest that chronic amphetamine treatment blunts expression of abuse-related cocaine effects on ICSS in rats.