Serviço de informaçoes sobre substâncias psicoativas. Caraterísticas da informaçao sobre drogas / Psychoactive substances information service. Characteristics of the provision of drug information

Este trabalho apresenta a an lise das consultas realizadas a um serviço de informaçöes sobre substâncias psicoativas, em 42 meses de funcionamento. As 1.284 consultas foram feitas através de uma linha telef"nica, havendo contato direto com um plantonista, com manutençäo do anonimato, caso houvesse interesse do usu rio. Constatou-se que, apesar de ampla variaçäo no número de consultas por período, dependendo da divulgaçäo da existência do serviço, a média é de 1,5 consultas ao dia. Näo h preferência entre os sexos e o uso é näo profissional na maioria das perguntas. Questöes sobre drogas de abuso (inalantes e maconha) säo mais frequentes, havendo interesse na obtençäo de mais informaçöes sobre medicamentos prescritos (benzodiazepínicos e antidepressivos), tanto de açäo central como de outros tipos (drogas cardiovasculares e antimicrobianos). É pequeno o número de perguntas sobre cafeína, nicotina e alucinógenos

Effect of sodium valproate on the open-field behavior of rats

It has been reported that sodium valproate induces a morphine-like withdrawal syndrome in rats. The effects of acute or chronic treatment with sodium valproate on rat behavior was studied in the open-field test. Acute sodium valproate (320 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) decreases the freuqncy of, and the time spent in grooming even when not modifying locomotion, rearing or defecation (N=15), either 15 or 60 min after an acute treatment. This effect was not modified (n+10) by concomitant administration of morphine (2 mg/kg) or naloxone (1 mg/kg). Interruption of prolonged (30 days) valproate treatment with increasing doses of 40 to 320 mg/kg, by gavage, twice daily (N=10) did not modify raty behavior in the open-field, from the first to the fourtheenth day of th test. We conclude that the decreased novely-induced grooming does not depend on the opioid system and may be related to anti-anxiety effect of valproate

Effects of phenylethylamine on rat locomotor behavior and avoidance learning

1. The effects of ß-phenylethylamine (PEA) alone and in association with caroxazone, a potent inhibitor of monoamine oxidase B (MAO B), on the activity and long-term memory in the wheel-shaped activity monitor and on fixed-interval two-way avoidance acquisition were studied in rats. In a separate study, we determined the effects of PEA and of d-amphetamine on the variable-internal two-way avoidance acquisition. 2. The action of PEA was markedly different from that of aplhetamine in several aspects. The stimulating effects of PEA in the wheel-shaped activity monitor were of a more subtle nature than those of amphetamine and in the variable-interval two-way avoidance acquisition PEA had no effect, while amphetamine improved performance. 3. PEA did not induce an increase in path-choice stereotypy, but caroxazone did. The absence of any caroxazone-session interaction effects on the path interation frequency suggested that there were no long-term memory effects. 4. In the fixed-interval two-way avoidance acquisition experiments, PEA increased the avoidance responses of tats while caroxazone had no effect. The association of the two drugs did not potenciate either