Abstract The amphetamine analogue 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or “Ecstasy”) is a popular drug of abuse which causes different neurotoxic effects in the mouse compared with the rat. In mice, MDMA produces damage to striatal dopamine terminals, having little long‐term effects on serotonin (5‐HT) containing neurons. A relevant feature of the striatum is its striosome/matrix...
3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ‘ecstasy’) decreases the 5‐HT concentration, [ 3 H]‐paroxetine binding and tryptophan hydroxylase activity in rat forebrain, which has been interpreted as indicating 5‐HT neurodegeneration. This has been questioned, particularly the 5‐HT loss, as MDMA can also inhibit tryptophan hydroxylase. We have now evaluated the validity of these parameters as a...
This study investigated whether the immediate and long‐term effects of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on monoamines in mouse brain are due to the parent compound and the possible contribution of a major reactive metabolite, 3,4‐dihydroxymethamphetamine (HHMA), to these changes. The acute effect of each compound on rectal temperature was also determined. MDMA given i.p. (30 mg kg −1 ,...