Evaluation of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) as an adjunct to psychotherapy. Med Pharmacol. Exp

The alkaloid mescaline (Ia), the principal active component of the cactus Peyotl (Lophophora wiiliamsii)) is one of the oldest, simplest, and best studied of all the known psychotomirnetic chem icals. Its close resemblance to the natural neurotransmitter nor epinephrine (II) has suggested that the mechanislll of function of these two materials may have some points in comrnon in their action upon the human nervous system. A chemical of inter mediate structure, 3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine (DMPEA, I b), lacks one of nlethoxyl groups of mescaline. Interest in his base was kindled by the observation of its presence in the urine of schizo phrenic patients, but not in that of normal subjects (Friedhoff and Van Winkle [6]. This chemical is most probably not an endo genous psychotogen, for evaluation of it in human subjects by Hollister and Friedhoff [8] and Shulgin et al. [16] revealed neither psychotropic nor sympathomimetic properties