Amphetamine-related drugs, such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and methamphetamine (METH), are popular recreational psychostimulants. Several preclinical studies have demonstrated that, besides having the potential for abuse, amphetamine-related drugs may also elicit neurotoxic and neuroinflammatory effects. The neurotoxic potentials of MDMA and METH to dopaminergic and...
Background: Previous studies by our group have demonstrated that caffeine, an antagonist of adenosine A 1 and A 2A receptors, amplifies the glial activation induced by 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”) in mice. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying this effect, the present study evaluated whether selective antagonists for the A 1 or the A 2A adenosine receptor had any...