Behavioral Pharmacology of Amphetamines

Abstract

Originally sold as a bronchodilator in the early 1930s, amphetamine soon became known for its stimulant effects on behavior (Angrist, 1983). The drug has been used to overcome fatigue and to improve performance on certain types of motor or cognitive tasks (Koelega, 1993; Laties {\&} Weiss, 1981). These stimulant effects often occur in conjunction with feelings of euphoria, a combination that has led to the widespread abuse of amphetamine and its analogs, including a pure form of methamphetamine known as ``ice,'' which emerged on the recreational drug scene in the late 1980s (Cho, 1990). Invariably, abuse of these drugs induces a psychosis that is clinically similar to paranoid schizophrenia (Akiyama, Hamamura, Ujike, Kanzaki, {\&} Otsuki, 1991; Snyder, 1973).