Psychostimulant drug

Amphetamines and related psychostimulants, modafinil and caffeine (ingested as capsules or as caffeinated drinks), produce feelings of increased energy and activity. These effects are particularly pronounced if subjects are engaged in strenuous or monotonous activities of longer duration. According to some reports, there seems to be a minority of subjects who show negative responses to stimulants and may feel tired, listless and occasionally even depressed (Corr and Kumari, 2000). 

Area of assessment Amphetamine and related drugs Non-amphetamines (caffeine) 

Subjective effects Increased energy, activity, interest, Increased energy, 

Attention, Improved performance doses, nervousness Improved performance 

Learning, memory Evidence of improved performance, Some evidence of 

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Nicotine, like other psychostimulant drugs (Hill 1970), also produces unconditioned effects that increase the ability of nondrug environmental stimuli to serve as reinforcers, independently of any direct temporal association between nicotine ad-... 

Grace, T. (2000) Cellular and molecular neurochemistry of psychostimulant effects on dopamine. In Solanto, M. and Castellanos, X., eds. The Neuropharmacology of Psychostimulant Drugs Implications for ADHD, 1st ed. New York Oxford University... 

Table 3.8 Effects of psychostimulant drugs in healthy subjects...

Bassareo V, Tanda G, Petromilli P, Giua C, Di Chiara G (1996) Non-psychostimulant drugs of abuse and anxiogenic drugs activate with differential selectivity dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens and in the medial prefrontal cortex of the rat. Psychopharmacology 124 293-299. 

Pontieri FE, Colangelo V, La Riccia M, Pozzilli C, Passatelli F, Orzi F (1994) Psychostimulant drugs increase glucose utilization in the shell of the rat nucleus accumbens. Neurol Rep 5 2561-2564. 

Rothman RB, Baumann MH (2003) Monoamine transporters and psychostimulant drugs. Eur J Pharmacol 479 23-40... 

Some antidepressants, notably mazindol and bupropion (3), inhibit the dopamine transporter (DAT) as well as NET or SERT. The DAT is best known, however, as one of the principal sites of action of the psychostimulant drug cocaine. Mice that are genetically engineered to knock out the expression of the DAT gene are profoundly hyperactive and fail to show any further stimulation of activity in response to cocaine or (-i-)-amphetamine (109). Such animals, nevertheless, will continue to self-administer cocaine (110), suggesting that the rewarding properties of the... 

Han D, Gu H (2006) Comparison of the monoamine transporters from human and mouse in their sensitivities to psychostimulant drugs. BMC Pharmacol 6 6... 

Recent studies have also evaluated the interaction between cannabinoids and other psychostimulants such as amphetamine and MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine ecstasy) (Braida and Saia 2002 Parker et al. 2004). These studies showed that infusion of the cannabinoid agonist CP55,940 decreased intracere-broventricular MDMA self-administration in rats (Braida and Saia 2002). It remains to be determined, however, if cannabinoids modulate the addictive properties of psychostimulant drugs. 

Gerfen CR (1993) Functional organization of the striatum relevance to actions of psychostimulant drugs of abuse. NIDA Res Monogr 125 82-91... 

Psychostimulant drugs are used to treat ADHD, where paradoxically they have a calming effect and improve concentration and attentiveness in about 70% of cases. Treatment should be under the guidance of a specialist in ADHD. 

Side effects of psychostimulant drugs include insomnia, restlessness, irritability, nervousness, dizziness, tremor and sometimes psychosis. 

Discuss the interaction of MAOIs with psychostimulant drugs (e.g., methylphenidate). 

Psychostimulant drugs increase the amounts of available norepinephrine and/or dopamine in the CNS. The effects of MAOIs may synergize with the effects of these drugs. Thus, psychostimulant drugs should be used cautiously in conjunction with MAOIs. 

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