Open-field behavior after intravenous amphetamine analogues in rats.

A variety of behaviors were studied in an open-field setting after i.v. amphetamine (0.5, 2.0, 8.0 mg/kg), phenmetrazine (1.0, 4.0, 16.0 mg/kg), or fenfluramine (1.0, 4.0, 16.0 mg/kg). Amphetamine and phenmetrazine increased ambulation initially and rearing during the whole experiment, and decreased grooming. At 30 and 60 min, with the three higher doses of amphetamine, stereotyped behaviors interfered with and decreased both ambulation and groomin. Fenfluramine decreased ambulation, rearing, and grooming, and was the only drug to induce backing. The technique seems to be a simple and rapid method to establish dependence liability in amphetamine analogues. Interrater and test-retest reliability was established through ITV recordings.