Edward J. Miner

THE ADDICTION RESEARCH CENTER INVENTORY: STANDARDIZATION OF SCALES WHICH EVALUATE SUBJECTIVE EFFECTS OF MORPHINE, AMPHETAMINE, PENTOBARBITAL, ALCOHOL, LSD-25, PYRAHEXYL AND CHLORPROMAZINE.

SummaryThe ARCI, a 550-item inventory for assessing subjective drug effects and personality characteristics, was standardized using former addict subjects on a number of drug conditions. The inventory was administered under “no-drug” and placebo, and various doses of morphine, pentobarbital, chlorpromazine, LSD-25, amphetamine, pyrahexyl, and alcohol. By means of item analysis, cross-validity and other initial comparisons, items were chosen to comprise each drug scale that discriminated the particular drug from placebo; the (no-drug)-placebo comparison also produced a tentative placebo scale. Since non-significant differences were found when scoring each of the drug scales separately on the nodrug and placebo conditions, these data were combined for standardizing all scales. Validity generalization, dose-effect, and retest studies showed that the drug scales possessed a high degree of validity and reliability. In contrast, the placebo scale lost discrimination entirely in the validity generalization group. Because of the very considerable number of item comprising the scales, only examples were presented. Subjective effects of the various drugs were discussed in terms of specific and general, non-specific actions and patterns of these alterations.

Comparison of psilocin with psilocybin, mescaline and LSD-25

Summary1.Reactions induced by LSD, mescaline, psilocin, and psilocybin are qualitatively similar.2.The time course of the psilocin and psilocybin reactions are shorter than those of LSD or mescaline reactions. li4.Psilocin is approximately 1.4 times as potent as psilocybin. This ratio is the same as that of the molecular weights of the two drugs.

Observations on direct and cross tolerance with LSD and d-amphetamine in man

Summary1.Within the limits of this experimental design in man:a)the spectrum of LSD effects is different from that of d-amphetamine in single doses to nontolerant subjectsb)following the daily administration of LSD for 14 days, direct tolerance develops to LSD (1.5 mcg/kg) with respect to pupillary dilatation and mental excitationc)following the daily administration of d-amphetamine for 14 days, direct tolerance develops to d-amphetamine (0.6 mg/kg) with respect to temperature elevation, systolic blood pressure increase and mental excitationd)subjects directly tolerant to LSD (1.5 mcg/kg) are not cross tolerant to d-amphetamine (0.6 mg/kg), and subjects directly tolerant to d-amphetamine (0.6 mg/kg) are not cross tolerant to LSD (0.5 mcg/kg).2.It is inferred that LSD and d-amphetamine probably exert their effects through dissimilar mechanisms.

THE EFFECT OF N,N-DIMETHYLTRYPTAMINE IN HUMAN SUBJECTS TOLERANT TO LYSERGIC ACID DIETHYLAMIDE.

Summary1.The spectrum of effects produced with single doses of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in 6 nontolerant human subjects resembled those produced with lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Either drug produced an elevation in systolic blood pressure, a decrease in the threshold for the kneejerk, pupillary dilatation, and a mental response characterized by anxiety, perceptual distortions and hallucinations. The onset and duration of action was shorter with DMT (0.5 mg/kg) as compared to LSD (1.5 mcg/kg), but the maximum intensity of effects with respect to each parameter was equivalent for both drugs.2.Following the chronic administration of LSD only a mild degree of cross tolerance to the mental response could be demonstrated with DMT (0.5 mg/kg) in subjects highly tolerant to the pupillary, kneejerk, and mental effects of LSD (3.0 mcg/kg).3.It is inferred that the site or mechanism which is altered during LSD tolerance is not one which is primarily concerned with the action of DMT.

Comparison of a placebo, N-dimethyltryptamine, and 6-hydroxy-N-dimethyltryptamine in man

Summary1.Five human subjects received intramuscularly at weekly intervals a placebo and equal doses of 6-hydroxy-N-dimethyltryptamine (6-HDMT) and N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) (1 mg/kg, 4 subjects; 0.75 mg/kg, 1 subject).2.DMT produced markedly significant mental effects including anxiety, hallucinations, and perceptual distortions and autonomic changes consisting of pupillary dilatation, increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and a decrease in the kneejerk threshold. These effects appeared within 15–30 minutes and subsided within 1–2 hours.3.The effects of 6-HDMT were not significantly different from those produced by a placebo.

THE ADDICTION RESEARCH CENTER INVENTORY: APPENDIX. I. ITEMS COMPRISING EMPIRICAL SCALES FOR SEVEN DRUGS. II. ITEMS WHICH DO NOT DIFFERENTIATE PLACEBO FROM ANY DRUG CONDITION.

SummaryThe present listing of items of the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI) is presented as an appendix to papers that describe the development and initial use of this instrument which was devised for assessing subjective effects of drugs. All items are classified according to their effectiveness in discriminating various drug effects from the placebo condition. The drugs used were morphine, amphetamine, pentobarbital, alcohol, LSD-25, pyrahexyl and chlorpromazine. Two types of scales, developed for each of these conditions separately are presented for each drug under the following headings: 1. Significant scales, composed of items that maintained discrimination at the 0.05 level in two groups of 50 subjects each; 2. Marginally significant scales, composed of additional items for whichP=0.05 or less in the total sample of 100 Ss; 3. Nondifferentiating items that did not discriminate between placebo and any of the drugs reported upon here. Inspection of these items, answers to which were not changed by drugs, shows a rather striking difference from the “scale-items.” When the former are classified for content (Table 2, p. 164,Haertzen et al. 1963) it is seen that questions concerning attitudes toward individuals and institutions, and questions on philosophy of life including hostilities of various sorts are not generally in the significantly altered category. In contrast, items that are sensitive to drug effects are very frequently questions on sensations, perception, bodily symptoms, moods, drives, attitudes toward taking the test and motivations. With regard to future work, some anticipated analyses were mentioned in the previous paper which will involve the study of “pattern effects” and other procedures for isolating specificity as well as generality of drug actions.