Dilsaver S C, Majchrzak M J, Alessi N E
Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109.
Biol Psychiatry. 1988 Jan 15;23(2):169-75. doi: 10.1016/0006-3223(88)90087-x.
The authors used a thermoregulation paradigm to evaluate effects of amitriptyline (AMI) on the sensitivity of a nicotinic mechanism involved in the regulation of core temperature in rats. Treatment with this tricyclic was associated with a significant increase in the hypothermic response to nicotine. Supersensitivity persisted for a minimum of 7.5 days following the last dose of AMI, and a significant proportion of animals displayed increased sensitivity after 14.5 days of abstinence. Implications for the mechanism of action of AMI are highlighted.