Other Experimental Options for Evaluating Drug Abuse Potential
RenaSci offers a battery of other in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo techniques that can be used to investigate the pharmacological mode of action of a drug as this can give an indication of its relative risk of being abused :-
- Ex vivo binding to determine compound occupancy of abuse-related receptors, binding sites and transporters Read more
- Intracerebral mcrodialysis in freely-moving rats or mice to assess the abuse potential of compounds by their effects on extracellular levels of key neurotransmitters, eg dopamine or 5-HT Read more
- Correlation of drug PK with neurochemistry and behaviour using the Culex Bambino/Raturn system Read more
- Neurochemical Fingerprinting - neurochemical phenotyping of substances of abuse Read more
- Three Component Test – sequential determination of the effects of drugs on limbic and striatal dopaminergic function (locomotor activity and stereotyped behaviour) and neurochemistry in mice Read more
- Behavioural phenotyping – all types of substances of abuse
- Measurement of locomotor activity - stimulants and sedatives
- Repeated drug administration to assess the development of drug-induced sensitisation (eg hyperactivity or stereotyped behaviour)
- Head twitches - a 5-HT2A mediated behaviour in mice that can be used to detect potential hallucinogens
