The amphetamine derivative 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a drug of abuse and has been shown to be neurotoxic to 5-HT terminals in many species. MDMA-engendered neurotoxicity has been shown to be affected by both ambient temperature and core body temperature. We now report that small (2°C) changes in ambient temperature produce changes in core temperature in MDMA-treated rats, but...
The substituted amphetamine 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has been shown to be neurotoxic to serotonin (5HT) terminals in the rat, and rat body temperature (TEMP) has been shown to affect this neurotoxicity. This study looked at the effect on CORE TEMP of three drugs that protect against MDMA neurotoxicity in the rat. Male Holtzmann rats were injected with a control saline (SAL)...
The effects of a high dose methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) regimen on the serotonin (5-HT) system were evaluated over a 52-wk period. MDMA was administered to rats (20 mg/kg) 8 times at 12-hr intervals. Tissue concentrations of dopamine (DA) and 5-HT, and synaptosomal uptake of 3H-5-HT and 3H-DA were measured at 2, 8, 16, 32 or 52 wk posttreatment. Synaptosomal uptake of 3H-5-HT...
High doses of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) have been shown to cause long-lasting depletions of central serotonin (5-HT) which are indicative of neuronal toxicity. The noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist dizocilpine (DZ) attenuates depletions of 5-HT induced by MDMA. Because DZ has been shown to induce hypothermia in rat models of ischemia, the purpose of...
The behavioral effect of single administration of +/- 3,4-methylene-dioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on rats performing on the differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate 72-second schedule (DRL 72-sec) was compared before and after a period of repeated administration of MDMA known to deplete 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels in the brain. Single administration of MDMA decreased reinforcement rate (1, 2,...
(+/-)-3,4-Methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA) was administered s.c. to rats (10, 20 or 40 mg/kg b. wt.) and guinea pigs (20 mg/kg) twice a day for 4 days, 2 weeks before decapitation. Norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin (5-HT) levels were assayed in the hippocampus, hypothalamus, striatum and neocortex. In rats, MDMA produced dose-dependent reductions in 5-HT in all brain regions...
(±)-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...