Journal of Neuroscience
August 1, 1995
Christina Weide Fischer, George Hatzidimitriou, J Wlos et al.
269 citations
The recreational drug (+/)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”) is a methamphetamine derivative that selectively destroys central 5-HT axons and axon terminals in animals and, possibly, humans. The fate of 5-HT neurons following MDMA injury is uncertain. In particular, while it is known that central 5-HT axons can undergo regenerative sprouting after MDMA injury, it has not been...
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
August 1, 1995
Una D. Mccann, George A. Ricaurte
6 citations
Una D. McCann, MD, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland. George A. Ricaurte, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland.
Addiction
May 1, 1994
Thomas Steele, Una D. Mccann, George A. Ricaurte
295 citations
Abstract (±)3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”), a ring‐substituted amphetamine derivative first synthesized in 1914, has emerged as a popular recreational drug of abuse over the last decade. Pharmacological studies indicate that MDMA produces a mixture of central stimulant and psychedelic effects, many of which appear to be mediated by brain monoamines, particularly serotonin...
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
April 1994
U D McCann, A Ridenour, Y Shaham et al.
(+/-)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "Ecstasy"), an increasingly popular recreational drug, is known to damage brain serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) neurons in experimental animals. Whether MDMA is neurotoxic in humans has not been established. Thirty MDMA users and 28 controls were admitted to a controlled inpatient setting for measurement of biologic and behavioral indexes of...
Sleep
September 1, 1993
Richard P. Allen, Una D. Mccann, George A. Ricaurte
113 citations
(+/- )3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a recreational drug of abuse which damages serotonin neurons in animals. It is not known whether MDMA is also neurotoxic in humans, and if so, whether there are functional consequences. Given the putative role of serotonin in sleep, it was hypothesized that one manifestation of serotonin neurotoxicity in humans might be disturbances of sleep. To...
Biological Psychiatry
November 15, 1992
Una D. Mccann, G. Ricaurte
( +_ )3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a synthetic amphetamine analogue used recreationally by humans in the United States (Pcroutka 1987) and Western Europe (Anon 1992), and is thought by some to have potential utility as a psychotherapoutic adjunct (Grinspoon and Bakalar 1986). It is generally believed that MDMA acts via central monoamines, primariJy by inducing transmitter release...
Neuropharmacology
September 1992
Ursula Scheffel, John R. Lever, M Stathis et al.
The present study examined short- and long-term effects of MDMA (3,4-methylene-dioxymethamphetamine) on serotonin (5-HT2 and 5-HT1c) receptors in the brain of the rat. N1-Methyl-2-[125I]lysergic acid diethylamide ([125I]MIL) was used to label these receptors in vitro and in vivo. The usefulness of [125I]MIL for in vivo detection of changes in 5-HT2 receptors was confirmed in preliminary...
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
1992
John H. Krystal, Lawrence H. Price, Charles Opsahl et al.
171 citations
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "ecstasy") is a selective serotonin (5-HT) neurotoxin in animals. There is now preliminary evidence in humans of 5-HT deficits associated with extensive use of MDMA. In order to begin to describe the cognitive and mood effects of chronic MDMA use, nine individuals with extensive MDMA use histories were studied. Despite the absence of memory deficits on...
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
October 1, 1991
Una D. Mccann, George A. Ricaurte, Domenic A. Ciraulo
137 citations
Two persons are described who demonstrated prolonged neuropsychiatric syndromes after the ingestion of large doses of (+-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a recreationally used amphetamine analog. These cases suggest that MDMA, known to be neurotoxic to serotonin neurons in several experimental animals, may also produce untoward effects in humans. In addition, they provide evidence...
April 5, 1991
Una D. Mccann, G. Ricaurte
The two major metabolites of (-+)3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), alpha-methyldopamine (a-MeDA) and 3-O-methyl-amethyldopamine (3-O-Me-a-MeDA), were administered to rats intracerebroventricularly and into brain parenchyma. In addition, their precursors, (a-MeDOPA and 3-O-Me-a-MeDOPA, respectively) were administered systemically, individually and in combination. None of these treatments...
PsycEXTRA Dataset
1989
George A. Ricaurte
46 citations
The results of the studies reviewed here show that the neurotoxic effects of MDMA generalize to the primate. Further, they indicate that monkeys are considerably more sensitive than rats to the serotonin-depleting effects of MDMA, and that the dose-response curve of MDMA in the monkey is much steeper than in the rat. Perhaps as a consequence of this, the toxic effects of MDMA in the monkey...
Neuroscience
1989
M. A. Wilson, G. Ricaurte, M. Molliver
Immunohistochemical methods were used to analyse the distribution and morphology of serotonergic axons in normal macaque monkeys and in monkeys given (+/-)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. In untreated monkeys, we observed two morphologic classes of serotonergic axon terminals, which differ in regional and laminar distribution. These two axon types, fine and beaded, correspond to the...
Brain Research
December 6, 1988
G. Ricaurte, L. Delanney, S. Wiener et al.
This study examined whether 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) could be used to detect serotonergic damage induced by (+/-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in the central nervous system (CNS) of non-human primates. Monkeys were administered toxic doses of MDMA; two weeks later, the animals were lightly anesthetized with ether and CSF was obtained by means...
JAMA
July 1, 1988
George A. Ricaurte
294 citations
(+/-)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a popular recreational drug that has been proposed to be useful as an adjunct to psychotherapy. This study assessed the neurotoxic potential of MDMA in nonhuman primates. Monkeys were repeatedly administered doses (2.50, 3.75, and 5.00 mg/kg) of MDMA subcutaneously and analyzed for regional brain content of serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic...
Brain Research
April 12, 1988
G. Ricaurte, L. Delanney, I. Irwin et al.
This study compared the toxic effects of oral versus subcutaneous and single versus multiple doses of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on central serotonergic neurons in non-human primates. Orally administered MDMA was approximately one-half as effective as subcutaneously administered drug. Multiple doses were more effective than single doses, but a single 5 mg/kg dose of MDMA given...
Science
September 6, 1985
George A. Ricaurte, Guy K. Bryan, L. Strauss et al.
367 citations
(±)-3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), an amphetamine analog with hallucinogenic activity, produced selective long-lasting reductions in the level of serotonin, the number of serotonin uptake sites, and the concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in rat brain. Morphological studies suggested that these neurochemical deficits were due to serotonin nerve terminal degeneration. These results...