This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) often discovers unidentified chemical substances during otherwise routine drug busts. Usually, these substances turn out to be chemical intermediates in the synthesis of known drugs. On some occasions, however, these substances turn out to be novel drugs of unknown pharmacology. Over the past few years, the majority of such novel drugs have turned out to be compounds of mixed action more specifically, they have some properties of stimulants, and some properties of hallucinogens. It thus appears that illicit chemists are attempting to capitalize on the popularity of the drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, or Ecstasy) the protypical mixed action drug of abuse. These studies assay novel DEA compounds for stimulant and hallucinogen activity in mice. In the past year, hallucinogen-like activity was determined for several tryptamines and N-substituted piperazines via quantification of drug-elicited head twitch response, drug discrimination, and receptor binding in rodents. These compounds were also tested for stimulant-like activity using an assay of drug-induced locomotor behavior. These complementary tests allow for determination of structure-activity relationships with these types of drugs. These data can thus be used by DEA in concert with the Analogue (Designer Drug) Act of 1986 to schedule and regulate these particular compounds, as well as all unknown and yet-to-be-synthesized compounds with similar structures.
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