Methoxetamine affects brain processing involved in emotional response in rats.
British Journal of Pharmacology October 1, 2017 M T Zanda, P Fadda, S Antinori et al.
Methoxetamine (MXE), a novel dissociative psychoactive substance sold online, produces dose-dependent effects on rat behavior and brain chemistry. Low doses (0.5 and 1 mg/kg) increased motor activity and induced anxiety-like or obsessive-compulsive traits, while high doses (5 mg/kg) caused sedation, transient pain relief, reduced social interaction, and antidepressant-like effects in the forced swim test. MXE did not alter self-grooming. Behaviorally active doses increased phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 in the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, a molecular change also seen with ketamine, indicating rapid neuroadaptive responses.