Methoxphenidine (MXP) induced abnormalities: Addictive and schizophrenia-related behaviours based on an imbalance of neurochemicals in the brain.
British Journal of Pharmacology October 1, 2021 Kwang-Hyun Hur, Seong-Eon Kim, Shi-Xun Ma et al.
Methoxphenidine, a dissociative designer drug, produces addictive behaviors in rats and mice through reinforcing and rewarding effects, activating dopamine pathways in the nucleus accumbens. It also induces schizophrenia-related symptoms—positive (hyperactivity, impulsivity), negative (anxiety, social withdrawal, depression), and cognitive impairment—by disrupting the hippocampal-prefrontal cortex pathway, a circuit implicated in schizophrenia. These findings support legal restrictions on recreational use and suggest methoxphenidine may serve as a tool for developing animal models of addiction and schizophrenia.