Phenylethylamine-induced taste aversion in rats and mice.

Phenylethylamine (PEA) has the same structure as amphetamine (AMP) except that PEA lacks a methyl group at the alpha carbon. Although these analogues produce many similar neurobehavioral actions, a previous study found that PEA did not support formation of conditioned taste aversion (CTA). Using somewhat different procedures, in the present study a transient taste aversion was seen in rats. Use of noradrenergic blocking agents to attempt to pharmacologically tailor PEA action to make it more like that of AMP did not improve efficacy to form CTA. A robust PEA-induced CTA was seen in mice even when PEA produced multiple seizures.