Background: Fort McMurray, a city in northern Alberta, Canada, has experienced multiple traumas in the last five years, including the 2016 wildfire, the 2020 floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighteen months after the wildfire, major... more
Background: Fort McMurray, a city in northern Alberta, Canada, has experienced multiple traumas in the last five years, including the 2016 wildfire, the 2020 floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighteen months after the wildfire, major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms were elevated among school board employees in the city. Objective: This study aimed to compare employees of the school board and other employees of Fort McMurray in respect to the impact the 2016 wildfires, the 2019 COVID pandemic, and the 2020 floods had on their mental health. Methodology: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted in Fort McMurray from 24 April to 2 June 2021. Online questionnaires were administered through REDCap and were designed to capture socio-demographic characteristics, clinical as well as wildfire, COVID-19, and flooding-related variables. Mental health outcome variables were captured using self-reported...
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Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are commonly used drugs in the treatment of malaria as well as chronic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Although various reports on possible psychiatric side... more
Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are commonly used drugs in the treatment of malaria as well as chronic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Although various reports on possible psychiatric side effects of these drugs exist, the nature and extent of these effects remain poorly understood. Moreover, the relevance of these drugs in the treatment of early stages of COVID-19 necessitates a careful estimation of their side effects. Here, we provide a systematic review of the psychiatric side effects associated with chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. We used PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science platforms to identify relevant literature published between 1962 and 2020. Search terms included chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, psychiatry, psychosis, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, delirium, and psychotic disorders. Only case reports and clinical trials were included. All studies included records of psychiatric side effects induced by either chloroqu...
... These results have generally been interpreted in terms of an action of 8-OH-DPAT at somatodendritic 5-HT 1A receptors on 5-HT neurons (reward increasing effects) orpost-synaptic 5-HT 1A receptors (reward decreasing effects, see Ahn et... more
... These results have generally been interpreted in terms of an action of 8-OH-DPAT at somatodendritic 5-HT 1A receptors on 5-HT neurons (reward increasing effects) orpost-synaptic 5-HT 1A receptors (reward decreasing effects, see Ahn et al., 2004). ...
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Background Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to have an unprecedented global effect on health and daily life, with many countries struggling to adapt to the adverse pandemic impact. While strict public health measures are... more
Background Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to have an unprecedented global effect on health and daily life, with many countries struggling to adapt to the adverse pandemic impact. While strict public health measures are necessary to slow the virus’ spread, these measures may adversely affect individual mental health and wellbeing. Texting-based programs offer organizations a feasible and cost-effective option to deliver mental health supports and to collect population-level data. This study reports on the prevalence rate and demographic correlates of perceived stress on the one-week data obtained from Text4Hope enrollees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This was a cross-sectional study that used the Perceived Stress Scale to determine the one-week prevalence for perceived stress in Alberta. Univariate and binomial logistic regression analysis were used to determine the demographic correlates (i.e., gender, age, ethnicity, educational attainment, employment status,...
Background: This cross-sectional online survey investigates the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms at an early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Methods: OCD symptoms, moderate/high stress, likely... more
Background: This cross-sectional online survey investigates the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms at an early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Methods: OCD symptoms, moderate/high stress, likely generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and likely major depressive disorder (MDD) were assessed with the Brief Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (BOCS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale, respectively. Results: Out of 32,805 individuals subscribed to Text4Hope, 6041 completed an online survey; the response rate was 18.4%. Overall, 60.3% of respondents reported onset of OCD symptoms and 53.8% had compulsions to wash hands during the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents who showed OCD symptoms only since the start of COVID-19 were significantly more likely to have moderate/high stress (z = 6.4, p < 0.001), likely GAD (z = 6.0, p < 0.001), and likely MDD (z = 2.7, p < 0.01)....
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The Fort McMurray wildfire was the costliest disaster in Canadian history, with far-reaching impacts. The purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence and risk factors of elevated generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptomatology in... more
The Fort McMurray wildfire was the costliest disaster in Canadian history, with far-reaching impacts. The purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence and risk factors of elevated generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptomatology in residents of Fort McMurray 6 months after the wildfire. Data were collected via random selection procedures from 486 participants. Generalized anxiety disorder symptoms were measured via the GAD-7. The 1-month prevalence rate for GAD symptomatology 6 months after the disaster was 19.8% overall, regression analyses revealed six variables with significant unique contributions to prediction of GAD symptomatology. Significant predictors were: pre-existing anxiety disorder, witnessing of homes being destroyed by the wildfire, living in a different home after the wildfire, receiving limited governmental support or limited family support, and receiving counseling after the wildfire. Participants with these risk factors were between two to nearly seven tim...
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a preventable disorder caused by maternal alcohol consumption and marked by a range of physical and mental disabilities. Although recognized by the scientific and medical community as a clinical... more
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a preventable disorder caused by maternal alcohol consumption and marked by a range of physical and mental disabilities. Although recognized by the scientific and medical community as a clinical disorder, no internationally standardized diagnostic tool yet exists for FASD. This review seeks to analyse the discrepancies in existing diagnostic tools for FASD, and the repercussions these differences have on research, public health, and government policy. Disagreement on the adoption of a standardised tool is reflective of existing gaps in research on the conditions and factors that influence fetal vulnerability to damage from exposure. This discordance has led to variability in research findings, inconsistencies in government messaging, and misdiagnoses or missed diagnoses. The objective measurement of the timing and level of prenatal alcohol exposure is key to bridging these gaps; however, there is conflicting or limited evidence to support th...
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Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a medical term used to describe a range of mental and physical disabilities caused by maternal alcohol consumption. The role of alcohol as a teratogen and its effects on the cellular growth of the... more
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a medical term used to describe a range of mental and physical disabilities caused by maternal alcohol consumption. The role of alcohol as a teratogen and its effects on the cellular growth of the embryo and the fetus were not determined on scientific grounds until the late 1960s. However, the link between alcohol use during pregnancy and its harms to offspring might have been observed frequently over the many thousands of years during which alcohol has been available and used for social and other reasons. Using sources ranging from the biblical Book of Judges (pre-1700) up until the first public health bulletin (1977), we seek to provide an overview of the academic debate around early historical accounts ostensibly attributed to the awareness of alcohol as a prenatal teratogen as well as to describe the social and political influences that sculpted developments leading to the public recognition of FASD. Our analysis provides a brief overvie...
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Although cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the treatment mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of CBT on changes in the... more
Although cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the treatment mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of CBT on changes in the intrinsic whole-brain functional network of OCD patients. Twenty drug-naive and noncomorbid OCD patients were recruited, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed before and after 12 weeks of CBT. Moreover, 20 healthy controls were scanned twice with a 12-week interval. A graph-theory degree centrality (DC) approach and functional connectivity method were used to analyze the whole-brain functional network hub and connectivity changes in OCD patients before and after CBT treatment. A significant group × time interaction on DC was found in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC); the DC in the left DLPFC was significantly reduced after CBT treatment. Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the left DLPFC and r...
Betel quid (BQ) is a common psychoactive substance worldwide with particularly high usage in many Asian countries. This study aimed to explore the effect of BQ use on functional connectivity by comparing global functional brain networks... more
Betel quid (BQ) is a common psychoactive substance worldwide with particularly high usage in many Asian countries. This study aimed to explore the effect of BQ use on functional connectivity by comparing global functional brain networks and their subset between BQ chewers and healthy controls (HCs). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was obtained from 24 betel quid-dependent (BQD) male chewers and 27 healthy male individuals on a 3.0T scanner. We used independent component analysis (ICA) to determine components that represent the brain's functional networks and their spatial aspects of functional connectivity. Two sample t-tests were used to identify the functional connectivity differences in each network between these two groups. Seventeen networks were identified by ICA. Nine of them showed connectivity differences between BQD and HCs (two sample t-tests, p < 0.001 uncorrected). We found increased functional connectivity in the orbitofrontal, bilater...
Delusional thinking is one of the hallmark symptoms of schizophrenia. However, the underlying neural substrate for delusions in schizophrenia remains unknown. In an attempt to further our understanding of the neural basis of delusions, we... more
Delusional thinking is one of the hallmark symptoms of schizophrenia. However, the underlying neural substrate for delusions in schizophrenia remains unknown. In an attempt to further our understanding of the neural basis of delusions, we explored gray matter deficits and their clinical associations in first-episode schizophrenia patients with and without delusions. Twenty-four first-episode schizophrenia patients with delusions and 18 without delusions as well as 26 healthy controls (HC) underwent clinical assessment and whole-brain structural imaging which were acquired a 3.0 T scanner. Voxel-based morphometry was used to explore inter-group differences in gray matter volume using analysis of covariance, and Spearman correlation coefficients (rho) between the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS)-delusion scores and mean regional brain volumes was obtained. Patients with delusions showed decreased brain gray matter volumes in the left putamen, thalamus, and caudate ...
Neurocognitive deficits are frequently observed in patients with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder (MDD). The relations between cognitive features may be represented by neurocognitive graphs based on cognitive features, modeled... more
Neurocognitive deficits are frequently observed in patients with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder (MDD). The relations between cognitive features may be represented by neurocognitive graphs based on cognitive features, modeled as Gaussian Markov random fields. However, it is unclear whether it is possible to differentiate between phenotypic patterns associated with the differential diagnosis of schizophrenia and depression using this neurocognitive graph approach. In this study, we enrolled 215 first-episode patients with schizophrenia (FES), 125 with MDD, and 237 demographically-matched healthy controls (HCs). The cognitive performance of all participants was evaluated using a battery of neurocognitive tests. The graphical LASSO model was trained with a one-vs-one scenario to learn the conditional independent structure of neurocognitive features of each group. Participants in the holdout dataset were classified into different groups with the highest likelihood. A partial...
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1. The effects of chronic administration of antidepressants on dopamine-related [3H]SCH 23390 and [3H]spiperone binding to rat striatal membranes were assessed. 2. The monoamine oxidase inhibitors phenelzine (5 or 10 mg kg-1/day) and... more
1. The effects of chronic administration of antidepressants on dopamine-related [3H]SCH 23390 and [3H]spiperone binding to rat striatal membranes were assessed. 2. The monoamine oxidase inhibitors phenelzine (5 or 10 mg kg-1/day) and tranylcypromine (1 mg kg-1/day) and the tricyclic desipramine (10 mg kg-1/day) were administered for 28 days by constant subcutaneous infusion using Alzet (2ML4) osmotic minipumps. 3. These treatments did not alter Kd estimates for either [3H]SCH 23390 or [3H]spiperone binding sites. The monoamine oxidase inhibitors induced a decrease in the Bmax values for both [3H]SCH 23990 and [3H]spiperone binding sites. Desipramine induced a decrease in the Bmax value for [3H]SCH 23390 binding but had no effect on the Bmax value for [3H]spiperone binding.
Research Interests: Membranes, Kinetics, Cerebellum, Cerebral Cortex, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, and 12 moreAnimals, Male, Dopamine Receptors, Rats, Neurosciences, Biochemistry and cell biology, Down-Regulation, Corpus striatum, desipramine, Phenelzine, Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, and Antidepressive agents
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Altered brain activities in the cortico-striato-thalamocortical (CSTC) circuitry are implicated in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, whether the underlying changes occur only within this circuitry or in... more
Altered brain activities in the cortico-striato-thalamocortical (CSTC) circuitry are implicated in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, whether the underlying changes occur only within this circuitry or in large-scale networks is still not thoroughly understood. This study performed voxel-based functional connectivity analysis on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from thirty OCD patients and thirty healthy controls to investigate whole-brain intrinsic functional connectivity patterns in OCD. Relative to the healthy controls, OCD patients showed decreased functional connectivity within the CSTC circuitry but increased functional connectivity in other brain regions. Furthermore, decreased left caudate nucleus-thalamus connectivity within the CSTC circuitry was positively correlated with the illness duration of OCD. This study provides additional evidence that CSTC circuitry may play an essential role and alteration of large...
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Research Interests: Neurochemistry, Brain, Animals, Male, Substantia nigra, and 6 moreRats, Rat, Assay, Neurosciences, Injections, and Tryptamines
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In a conditioned taste-aversion experiment with male Wistar rats (two-bottle test, single pairing), the effects of beta-phenylethylamine (PEA 12.5, 25.0, 50.0, 100.0 mg/kg IP) and of d-amphetamine (2.5 mg/kg IP) were compared with the... more
In a conditioned taste-aversion experiment with male Wistar rats (two-bottle test, single pairing), the effects of beta-phenylethylamine (PEA 12.5, 25.0, 50.0, 100.0 mg/kg IP) and of d-amphetamine (2.5 mg/kg IP) were compared with the effect of the saline vehicle. The amphetamine-treated group exhibited a marked aversion to saccharin on each of four retention trials. A decrease in saccharin intake after PEA was limited to the highest dose group (100 mg/kg) and the first retention trial for that group. Doses of up to 50 mg/kg of PEA were also ineffective with a single-bottle conditioned taste-aversion procedure involving multiple conditioning trials, although doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg of PEA induced marked changes in spontaneous motor activity. These data demonstrate that behaviourally active doses of PEA are ineffective in inducing a conditioned taste aversion to saccharin. This result extends previous reports that structurally similar compounds may have different potencies in this paradigm. It is proposed that further studies of structure-activity relationships may help to reveal the features of drug action that are necessary for the induction of a conditioned taste aversion.
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ABSTRACT The use of general systemic manipulations to alter brain activity, often coupled with ex vivo biochemical analysis, has led to significant advances in our understanding of central nervous system (CNS) activity Nevertheless, the... more
ABSTRACT The use of general systemic manipulations to alter brain activity, often coupled with ex vivo biochemical analysis, has led to significant advances in our understanding of central nervous system (CNS) activity Nevertheless, the search for a clear understanding of the function of separate brain regions has necessitated the use of Intracranial preparations The advantages of this approach are twofold It allows stimulation of localized areas of brain tissue, which is important in the analysis of functions of separate nucler and neural pathways, furthermore the intracranial approach enables us to apply compounds to the CNS that do not readily cross the blood-brain barrier (see Oldendorf, 1971). It is notable that the majority of substances believed to be neurotransmitters fall into this category of compounds
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To explore the possible involvement of second-messenger pathways in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder and the mechanism of action of mood stabilizers, we investigated the effects of dextroamphetamine (a model for mania) and the most... more
To explore the possible involvement of second-messenger pathways in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder and the mechanism of action of mood stabilizers, we investigated the effects of dextroamphetamine (a model for mania) and the most widely used mood stabilizers, lithium chloride, sodium valproate and carbamazepine, on intraplatelet levels of calcium ion ([Ca2+). In the first part of the study, dextroamphetamine was administered in vivo in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. In the second part of the study, platelets from untreated subjects were incubated in vitro with dextroamphetamine, lithium chloride, sodium valproate or carbamazepine. Fifteen healthy men between 18 and 45 years of age. Basal, thrombin-induced and serotonin- (5-HT) induced intraplatelet [Ca2+] determined by means of fura-2 fluorescent intensity. In vivo administration of dextroamphetamine had no effect on basal or agonist-induced intraplatelet [Ca2+]. However, in vitro basal platelet [Ca2+...
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The functional aversive stimulus properties of several IP doses of (+/-)-amphetamine (1.25-10 mg.kg-1), 2-phenylethylamine (PEA, 2.5-10 mg.kg-1, following inhibition of monoamine oxidase with pargyline 50 mg.kg-1) and phenylethanolamine... more
The functional aversive stimulus properties of several IP doses of (+/-)-amphetamine (1.25-10 mg.kg-1), 2-phenylethylamine (PEA, 2.5-10 mg.kg-1, following inhibition of monoamine oxidase with pargyline 50 mg.kg-1) and phenylethanolamine (6.25-50 mg.kg-1) were measured with the conditioned taste aversion (CTA) paradigm. A two-bottle choice procedure was used, water vs. 0.1 % saccharin with one conditioning trial and three retention trials. (+/-)-Amphetamine and phenylethanolamine induced a significant conditioned taste aversion but PEA did not. (+/-)-Amphetamine and PEA increased spontaneous locomotor activity but phenylethanolamine had no effects on this measure. Measurement of whole brain levels of these drugs revealed that the peak brain elevation of PEA occurred at approximately 10 min whereas the peak elevations of (+/-)-amphetamine and phenylethanolamine occurred at approximately 20 min. The present failure of PEA to elicit conditioned taste aversion learning is consistent with...
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1. The effects of chronic administration (28 days s.c. via Alzet osmotic minipumps) of 2-phenylethylamine.HCl (10 mg kg-1 per day) and/or (-)-deprenyl.HCl (1 mg kg-1 per day) on dopamine and noradrenaline receptor subtypes have been... more
1. The effects of chronic administration (28 days s.c. via Alzet osmotic minipumps) of 2-phenylethylamine.HCl (10 mg kg-1 per day) and/or (-)-deprenyl.HCl (1 mg kg-1 per day) on dopamine and noradrenaline receptor subtypes have been measured in rat brain. 3H-CGP 12177 was used to label beta-adrenoceptors; 3H-spiperone and 3H-SCH 23390 were used to label D2-like and D1-like receptors. 2. Total cortical beta-adrenoceptor density was reduced by (-)-deprenyl but not 2-phenylethylamine alone. Combined administration of 2-phenylethylamine and (-)-deprenyl resulted in a significantly larger decrease than (-)-deprenyl alone. Subtype density analysis by competition experiments with ICI 89406 revealed that the (-)-deprenyl effect in cortex was due to a decrease in beta 1-adrenoceptor density. The combination of 2-phenylethylamine and (-)-deprenyl resulted in a significant decrease in both cortical beta 1- and cortical beta 2-adrenoceptors. Cerebellar beta-adrenoceptor density was not altered ...
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Experiments were conducted to compare the effects of 4-ethoxyamphetamine, a novel "designer" amphetamine, with (+)-amphetamine and an earlier "designer" amphetamine, 4-methoxyamphetamine, on rats. (+)-Amphetamine... more
Experiments were conducted to compare the effects of 4-ethoxyamphetamine, a novel "designer" amphetamine, with (+)-amphetamine and an earlier "designer" amphetamine, 4-methoxyamphetamine, on rats. (+)-Amphetamine significantly decreased frequency threshold measures in an intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) procedure using medial forebrain bundle electrodes, while 4-methoxyamphetamine and 4-ethoxyamphetamine increased these ICSS frequency thresholds. 4-Methoxyamphetamine and 4-ethoxyamphetamine had more potent effects on inhibition of uptake and stimulation of spontaneous release of 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) than of dopamine. It is concluded that the neuropsychopharmacological profile of 4-ethoxyamphetamine is unlike that of (+)-amphetamine, but similar to that of 4-methoxyamphetamine, a potent hallucinogen in humans.
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Electrolytic lesions of the median and dorsal raphé nuclei resulted in statistically significant reductions in rat hypothalamic noradrenaline which were observed 1 or 2 days after lesioning, while no changes were observed 7 or 14 days... more
Electrolytic lesions of the median and dorsal raphé nuclei resulted in statistically significant reductions in rat hypothalamic noradrenaline which were observed 1 or 2 days after lesioning, while no changes were observed 7 or 14 days after lesioning. The short term (1-2 days) raphé nuclei lesions produced no changes in hypothalamic 5-hydroxytryptamine or a small reduction in 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid while the expected marked reductions were observed after 7 days. The reduction in hypothalamic noradrenaline observed after short term raphé nuclei lesions suggests the existence of a positive feedback loop between 5-hydroxytryptamine neurons and noradrenaline terminals in the hypothalamus.
Research Interests: Serotonin, Hypothalamus, Animals, Male, Feedback, and 4 moreTryptophan, Norepinephrine, Rats, and Rat
Effects of isoproterenol (3 mg kg-1, i.p. for 60 min) and salbutamol (3, 10 mg kg-1, i.p. for 60 min) on large neutral amino acid concentrations in rat plasma and brain were assessed. Phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine, and valine were... more
Effects of isoproterenol (3 mg kg-1, i.p. for 60 min) and salbutamol (3, 10 mg kg-1, i.p. for 60 min) on large neutral amino acid concentrations in rat plasma and brain were assessed. Phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine, and valine were measured by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection; tyrosine and tryptophan were measured by HPLC with electrochemical detection. These drugs induced increases in brain tryptophan, tyrosine, phenylalanine, and valine and decreases in plasma tryptophan, tyrosine, leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Effects of salbutamol (3 mg kg-1, i.p. for 60 min) were assessed following chronic administration of phenelzine sulfate and desipramine.HCl (each drug 10 mg kg-1 per day, s.c. via Alzet 2ML4 osmotic minipumps for 28 days). There were no effects of these antidepressants on basal levels of large neutral amino acids in brain and plasma. In both brain and plasma, salbutamol-induced changes in large neutral amino acids were unaffected by these antidepres...
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1. Mouse striatal 2-phenylethylamine was not changed at 2 hr following the administration of chlorpromazine, fluphenazine or spiperone. 2. In contrast, when the mice were first given pargyline (2 mg kg-1), treated with chlorpromazine,... more
1. Mouse striatal 2-phenylethylamine was not changed at 2 hr following the administration of chlorpromazine, fluphenazine or spiperone. 2. In contrast, when the mice were first given pargyline (2 mg kg-1), treated with chlorpromazine, fluphenazine or spiperone 2 hr later and killed at 4 hr, a significant increase (to 130-170%) in the accumulation of 2-phenylethylamine was observed with respect to the pargyline controls. 3. The effect of chlorpromazine was consistently observed after pretreatment with either deprenyl (2 mg kg -1) or high doses (200 mg kg-1) of pargyline that produced different degrees of MAO inhibition. 4. Following pretreatment with pargyline (2 mg kg-1), d-amphetamine (5 mg kg-1) produced a significant reduction in striatal 2-phenylethylamine concentrations (to 39% of pargyline-treated controls). 5. The findings show that inhibition of dopamine transmission by neuroleptics increases the rate of 2-phenylethylamine accumulation. 6. Conversely, a stimulation of dopami...
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ABSTRACT Our knowledge of the biochemical actions of antidepressants, neuroleptics, and anxiolytics at the cellular and molecular level has led to the development of a number of rather rapid and inexpensive in vitro and ex vivo screening... more
ABSTRACT Our knowledge of the biochemical actions of antidepressants, neuroleptics, and anxiolytics at the cellular and molecular level has led to the development of a number of rather rapid and inexpensive in vitro and ex vivo screening procedures that have proven useful in identifying new drugs with psychotropic properties, The biochemical actions most frequently tested include effects on uptake of radiolabeled biogenic amines by nerve-ending preparations, effects on monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, and actions on binding of radiohgands to binding sites prepared from brain tissue. In the following review, each of these, along with effects on adenylate cyclase, will be considered, and the descriptions will include examples of specific applications and a discussion of how these tests fit into the overall strategies for testing potential psychotropic drugs.