A bufotenin-like substance in the urine of schizophrenics

Bufo toads and bufotenine: fact and fiction surrounding an alleged psychedelic

This paper investigates the supposedly psychedelic Bufo toad and the allegedly psychedelic drug bufotenine, which is contained in the skin and glands of this toad. The bufo toad has held a place in human mythologies and medicines worldwide since archaic times. Used by ancient peoples for a variety of purposes, its most spectacular effects, according to lore, involve magical and shamanic or occult uses for casting spells and for divination. In the Middle Ages, the Bufo toad was celebrated as a panacea and persecuted as a powerful poison. More recently, in the 1960s the Bufo toad was resurrected as a countercultural icon, with people purportedly licking or smoking the secretions to get high. Bufotenine has been at the center of a scientific debate since its discovery in 1893. This paper examines the extensive literature surrounding the Bufo toad and bufotenine, and untangles many of the myths and the misinformation that continue to vex both science and popular reporting. Finally, to promote further investigation, a comprehensive bibliography is provided that charts the history of the Bufo toad and bufotenine.

Potentiation in rats of bufotenin-induced behavioral changes by chlorpromazine

In the present work, a dose-response relationship for bufotenin in the rat trained to bar-press for water reinforcement has been established. Our data illustrate that pretreatment of the rat with chlorpromazine potentiates the behavioral effects of bufotenin, while pretreatment with a tricyclic antidepressant drug does not alter the dose-response relationship for bufotenin. If a similar interacting effect between chlorpromazine and bufotenin were to be demonstrated for the human, it would suggest evidence that bufotenin is not an endogenous psychotogen involved as an etiologic factor in schizophrenia. Such a parallel relationship is suggested by earlier work of Turner and Merlis (1959).

Behavioral changes in rats following bufotenine injection

A time sampling procedure was used to observe the behavioral effects of IP bufotenine injection in the rat. The results indicated an attenuation of locomotor activity which varied directly as a function of drug dosage. In addition, all response components typically associated with a general activity pattern were selectively affected by bufotenine. Interpretation of the response decrement in terms of a generalized motor loss was not supported by other aspects of the data. Evidence suggesting that behavioral changes following bufotenine treatment are due to a disruption of sensory processes was discussed.

N-Methylmetanephrine: Excretion by Juvenile Psychotics

Three out of 18 psychotic children excreted N-methylmetanephrine, a metabolite of N-methylepinephrine. It is not clear whether this tertiary amine plays a part in causing some forms of psychosis or is merely a secondary result of mental dysfunction. Urinary excretion of bufotenin and of 3,4-dimethoxyphenylethylamine, each of which has been reported elevated in some adult schizophrenics, was not unusual in these children.