The novel ketamine analog methoxetamine produces dissociative-like behavioral effects in rodents.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Methoxetamine (MXE) is a ketamine analog sold online that has been subject to widespread abuse for its dissociative and hallucinogenic effects. Previous studies have shown that MXE has high affinity for the phencyclidine (PCP) binding site located within the channel pore of the NMDA receptor (NMDAR), but little is known about its behavioral effects. Dissociative anesthetics such as ketamine and PCP produce a characteristic behavioral profile in rats that includes locomotor hyperactivity and disruption of prepulse inhibition (PPI) of acoustic startle.

Methods

The goal of the present investigation was to determine whether MXE produces PCP-like effects in Sprague-Dawley rats using the PPI paradigm and the behavioral pattern monitor (BPM), which enables analyses of pat

SUBMITTER: Halberstadt AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5403250 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature