Neuropharmacology
September 1, 2017
Cristina Cadoni, Augusta Pisanu, Nicola Simola et al.
Although MDMA (3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine, ecstasy) neurotoxicity in serotonin neurons is largely recognized in a wide variety of species including man, neurotoxicity in dopamine (DA) neurons is thought to be species-specific. MDMA is mainly consumed by adolescents, often in conjunction with caffeine (Energy Drinks) and this association has been reported to exacerbate MDMA toxic effects....
Journal of Caffeine Research
June 1, 2014
Amit Khairnar, Lucia Frau, Antonio Plumitallo et al.
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...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
March 2014
Nicola Simola, Lucia Frau, Antonio Plumitallo et al.
Several studies suggest that 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) may indicate a positive affective state in rats, and these vocalizations are increasingly being used to investigate the properties of psychoactive drugs. Previous studies, however, have focused on dopaminergic psychostimulants and morphine, whereas little is known about how other drugs modulate 50-kHz USVs. To further elucidate...
Movement Disorders
September 20, 2013
Giulia Costa, Lucia Frau, Jadwiga Wardas et al.
52 citations
ABSTRACT Clinical observations report a greater propensity to develop Parkinson's disease (PD) in amphetamine users. 3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; “ecstasy”) is an amphetamine‐related drug that is largely consumed by adolescents and young adults, which may have neuroinflammatory and neurotoxic effects. Here, the objective was to evaluate in mice whether consumption of MDMA during...
Journal of Neurochemistry
October 20, 2012
Lucia Frau, Nicola Simola, Antonio Plumitallo et al.
46 citations
Abstract Evidence is accumulating to suggest that 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine ( MDMA ) has neurotoxic and neuroinflammatory properties. MDMA is composed of two enantiomers with different biological activities. In this study, we evaluated the in vivo effects of S(+)‐ MDMA , R(−)‐ MDMA , and S(+)‐ MDMA in combination with R(−)‐ MDMA on microglial and astroglial activation compared with...
Journal of Neurochemistry
January 22, 2007
Elio Acquas, Augusta Pisanu, Saturnino Spiga et al.
52 citations
Abstract R,S(±)‐3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (R,S(±)‐MDMA, ‘Ecstasy’) is known to stimulate dopamine (DA) transmission in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). In order to investigate the post‐synaptic correlates of pre‐synaptic changes in DA transmission and their relationship with MDMA enantiomers, we studied the effects of R,S(±)‐MDMA, S(+)‐MDMA, and R(−)‐MDMA on extracellular DA and...