The Effect Of Amphetamine On The Potentials Evoked In The Reticular Formation

Abstract

Auditory evoked responses were studied in the mesencephalic reticular formation of the encephale isole preparation of the cat. The response was complex in nature and consisted of an initial fast potentiai followed by a slower potential. The effects of dl-amphetamine were studied on the amplitude of the complex response. dl-Amphetamine administered intravenously in low doses significantly increased the amplitude of the slow component of the potential while large doses decreased the amplitude. The results thus obtained lend support to the fact that low doses of amphetamine can increase the level of attention and vigilance while large doses can decrease attention.

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