Psychoactive substances , such as caffeine , amphetamine , mescaline , strychnine , LSD , THC , chloral hydrate , theophylline , IBMX and others, have a strong effect on animals.
The effect of a wide variety of psychoactive substances on rats [1] [2] , cats [3] , mice [1] [2] was repeatedly studied. Rats and mice are standard models for testing the psychoactive component of various drugs. They are tested for antipsychotic, antidepressant, tranquilizing activity, and so on [4] .
In low concentrations, psychoactive substances reduce the intensity of nutrition in insects and mollusks, and kill them in high doses [5] . It is believed that some plants produce caffeine in leaves as a natural defense against insects [6] .
Content
The effects of psychoactive substances on spiders
Spiders weave more erratic cobwebs after consuming most substances [7] .
Cats
About 70% of domestic cats are sensitive to the smell of catnip , also known as catnip. The influence on wild representatives of the cat family , including tigers, is not known in percentage terms, but it is known that they are also sensitive to this plant.
The first reaction of cats is to sniff a plant. Then they lick or chew the leaves. After which the animal becomes very excited. The reaction to the plant is manifested as follows: the animal falls into a frenzy, begins to shake its head, jerks convulsively with its body, purrs loudly, rubs its entire body against the plant, rolls on the ground. The duration of this narcotic arousal is about 10 minutes, after which the cat returns to normal [8] . Moreover, the reaction occurs even at low concentrations of feline essential oil contained in catnip - non - detalactone [8] .
Catnip is toxic, which repels insects from plants, but the concentration of poison is too low to poison cats [3] .
Science has described an autosomal gene that controls the manifestation of the reaction of feline representatives to a given plant [9] .
See also
- Animal experiments
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Yu. V. Burov, SA Borisenko. Effect of psychotropic drugs on capacity for mental and physical work in rats // Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine: Journal. - 1975 .-- Vol. 79 , no. 2 . - P. 140-143 . - ISSN 1573-8221 . - DOI : 10.1007 / BF00808860 .
- ↑ 1 2 L. Valzelli, S. Bernasconi. Differential activity of some psychotropic drugs as a function of emotional level in animals (Eng.) // Psychopharmacologia: Journal. - 1971. - Vol. 20 , no. 1 . - P. 91-96 . - ISSN 1432-2072 . - DOI : 10.1007 / BF00404063 .
- ↑ 1 2 Ronald K. Siegel. Intoxication: the universal drive for mind-altering substances . - Inner Traditions / Bear & Company, 2005. - P. 61–63. - ISBN 978-1-59477-069-2 .
- ↑ Manual on preclinical (experimental) study of new pharmacological things / R. U. Khabriev . - Moscow: Medicine, 2005 .-- S. 230-392. - 832 s. - ISBN 5-255-04219-8 .
- ↑ Nathanson, JA Caffeine and related methylxanthines: possible naturally occurring pesticides (English) // Science: journal. - 1984. - Vol. 226 , no. 4671 . - P. 184-187 . - DOI : 10.1126 / science.6207592 . - PMID 6207592 .
- ↑ Frischknecht, PM; Urmer-Dufek J. and Baumann TW Purine formation in buds and developing leaflets of Coffea arabica: expression of an optimal defense strategy? (English) // Phytochemistry : journal. - Journal of the Phytochemical Society of Europe and the Phytochemical Society of North America., 1986. - Vol. 25 , no. 3 . - P. 613-616 . - DOI : 10.1016 / 0031-9422 (86) 88009-8 .
- ↑ 1 2 Noever, R., J. Cronise, and RA Relwani. 1995. Using spider-web patterns to determine toxicity. NASA Tech Briefs 19 (4): 82. Published in New Scientist magazine, 29 April 1995
- ↑ 1 2 O'Brien S. et al. Cat genetics. - Novosibirsk: Nauka , 1993 .-- 213 p. - ISBN 5-02-030567-7 .
- ↑ Morill R., Todd NB Mutant allele frequencies in domestic cats of Denver, Colorado // J. Hered. - 1978. - Vol. 69. - P. 131-134. ; Todd NB Behavior and genetics of domestic cat (Eng.) // Cornell Veterinarian. - 1962. - Vol. 53. - P. 99.