Effects of amphetamine derivatives on brain dopamine and noradrenaline

摘要

1. Intracisternally administered metaraminol, α-methyl-octopamine, α-methyl-m-tyramine, and α-methyl tyramine were found to lower brain noradrenaline without having an effect on brain dopamine.2. Amphetamine, mephentermine, and norephedrine had no effect on brain catecholamines after intracisternal injection.3. There was no reduction in brain dopamine content after intracisternal injection of α-methyl-m-tyramine, yet the resulting brain concentration of α-methyl-m-tyramine was several times higher than after intraperitoneal injection of α-methyl-m-tyrosine, which decreased brain dopamine.4. The decreased synthesis of labelled catecholamines from ¹⁴C-tyrosine after α-methyl-m-tyrosine suggested that this compound inhibits tyrosine hydroxylase in addition to its action of displacing brain amines.