Brain Research
November 14, 2019
María A. Aguilar, María P García-Pardo, A. Parrott
MDMA (3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine), also known as Ecstasy, is a stimulant drug recreationally used by young adults usually in dance clubs and raves. Acute MDMA administration increases serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline by reversing the action of the monoamine transporters. In this work, we review the studies carried out over the last 30 years on the neuropsychobiological effects of...
Behavioural Brain Research
July 16, 2018
María P García-Pardo, José Miñarro, María A. Aguilar
Currently, there is not an effective treatment for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) dependence but pharmacotherapies targeting glutamate neurotransmission are a promising strategy. Previously, we showed that blockade of glutamate NMDA and AMPA receptors impairs the conditioned rewarding effects of MDMA and cocaine, respectively. In this study we evaluated the role of AMPA receptors in...
Behavioural Brain Research
May 4, 2017
María P García-Pardo, Marta Rodríguez‐arias, José Miñarro et al.
It is estimated that 2.1 million young adults used MDMA/Ecstasy in the last year in Europe. Vulnerable subjects can develop dependence after MDMA abuse but currently there does not exist an effective treatment for this disorder. The nitric oxide (NO) pathway seems to have an important role on the rewarding effects of different drugs and has been proposed as a new pharmacological treatment for...
Behavioural Brain Research
February 15, 2017
María P García-Pardo, Concepción Roger-Sánchez, Marta Rodríguez‐arias et al.
Adverse life experiences such as social stress may make an individual more vulnerable to drug addiction and mental disorders associated with drug consumption. The present work aimed to evaluate the effects of stress induced by acute social defeat combined with the administration of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on depression-like behaviour, memory function and motor response to drug...
Behavioural Pharmacology
April 2016
Concepción Roger-Sánchez, María P García-Pardo, Marta Rodríguez‐arias et al.
In recent years, studies with animal models of reward, such as the intracranial self-stimulation, self-administration, and conditioned place preference paradigms, have increased our knowledge on the neurochemical substrates of the rewarding effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymetamphetamine (MDMA) in rodents. However, pharmacological and neuroimaging studies with human participants are scarce....
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
December 3, 2015
María P García-Pardo, M C Blanco-Gandía, M Valiente-Lluch et al.
Previous studies have demonstrated that social defeat stress increases the rewarding effects of psychostimulant drugs such as cocaine and amphetamine. In the present study we evaluated the long-term effects of repeated social defeat (RSD) on the rewarding effects of ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) hydrochloride in the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Adolescent and young...