The effect of hormonal condition on dose-dependent amphetamine-stimulated behaviors in the male rat.

The effects of varying doses (1.25, 2.5, and 5.0 mg/kg, ip) of D-amphetamine sulfate (AMPH) on eight individual behaviors (Rearing, Grooming, Sniffing, Stationary, Gnawing, Head Bobbing, "Sleeping," and Licking) of Castrate + Oil-treated, Castrate + Testosterone Propionate (TP)-treated, and Intact male rats were examined. For Stationary, Sniffing, and "Sleeping" at 1.25 mg/kg AMPH and Rearing and Sniffing at the 2.5 mg/kg dose a significantly greater duration in the behavioral score was obtained for Castrate + Oil versus Castrate + TP and Intact males. These results indicate the complexity of the AMPH dose-response effects upon measurable behaviors, the alteration in the duration of these effects as a function of the hormonal condition of the male rat, and the importance of examining discrete components of behavior when hormone-amphetamine interactions are examined.