European Journal of Neuroscience
October 2, 2018
María Pilar García-pardo, José Miñarro, Marta Llansola et al.
26 citations
Exposure to social stress alters the response to drugs of abuse of experimental animals. Changes in the glutamatergic system seem to play a role in the effects of social defeat stress on the rewarding properties of cocaine and amphetamine. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the involvement of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)...
Behavioural Brain Research
July 16, 2018
María P García-Pardo, José Miñarro, María A. Aguilar
Currently, there is not an effective treatment for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) dependence but pharmacotherapies targeting glutamate neurotransmission are a promising strategy. Previously, we showed that blockade of glutamate NMDA and AMPA receptors impairs the conditioned rewarding effects of MDMA and cocaine, respectively. In this study we evaluated the role of AMPA receptors in...
Behavioural Brain Research
May 4, 2017
María P García-Pardo, Marta Rodríguez‐arias, José Miñarro et al.
It is estimated that 2.1 million young adults used MDMA/Ecstasy in the last year in Europe. Vulnerable subjects can develop dependence after MDMA abuse but currently there does not exist an effective treatment for this disorder. The nitric oxide (NO) pathway seems to have an important role on the rewarding effects of different drugs and has been proposed as a new pharmacological treatment for...
Behavioural Brain Research
February 15, 2017
María P García-Pardo, Concepción Roger-Sánchez, Marta Rodríguez‐arias et al.
Adverse life experiences such as social stress may make an individual more vulnerable to drug addiction and mental disorders associated with drug consumption. The present work aimed to evaluate the effects of stress induced by acute social defeat combined with the administration of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on depression-like behaviour, memory function and motor response to drug...
Behavioural Pharmacology
April 2016
Concepción Roger-Sánchez, María P García-Pardo, Marta Rodríguez‐arias et al.
In recent years, studies with animal models of reward, such as the intracranial self-stimulation, self-administration, and conditioned place preference paradigms, have increased our knowledge on the neurochemical substrates of the rewarding effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymetamphetamine (MDMA) in rodents. However, pharmacological and neuroimaging studies with human participants are scarce....
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
December 3, 2015
María P García-Pardo, M C Blanco-Gandía, M Valiente-Lluch et al.
Previous studies have demonstrated that social defeat stress increases the rewarding effects of psychostimulant drugs such as cocaine and amphetamine. In the present study we evaluated the long-term effects of repeated social defeat (RSD) on the rewarding effects of ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) hydrochloride in the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Adolescent and young...
Behavioural Pharmacology
May 14, 2015
María Pilar García-pardo, Carla Escobar-Valero, Marta Rodrı́guez-arias et al.
29 citations
Some 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) users become dependent as a result of chronic consumption. A greater understanding of the neurobiological basis of the rewarding effects of MDMA could contribute to developing effective pharmacotherapies for MDMA-related problems. The present study evaluated the role of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors (NMDARs) in the acquisition and...
Behavioural Pharmacology
September 1, 2014
María Pilar García-pardo, Marta Rodrı́guez-arias, Concepción Maldonado et al.
29 citations
Exposure to social defeat stress increases the rewarding effects of psychostimulants in animal models, but its effect on 3,4-methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA) reward has received little attention. In the present study, we evaluated the influence of social defeat on the rewarding effects of MDMA in adolescent [postnatal day (PND) 29-40] and adult (PND 50-61) male mice using the conditioned...
Toxicology
September 6, 2013
Alvaro Llorente‐berzal, Carmen Manzanedo, Manuel Daza‐losada et al.
The early neonatal stage constitutes a sensitive period during which exposure to adverse events can increase the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders. Maternal deprivation (MD) is a model of early life stress that induces long-term behavioural and physiological alterations, including susceptibility to different drugs of abuse. In the present study we have used the conditioned place preference...
Psychopharmacology
November 2011
Marta Rodríguez‐arias, Concepción Maldonado, Antonio Vidal-Infer et al.
Heavy binge drinking is increasingly frequent among adolescents, while ethanol (EtOH) is often used in combination with 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). The long-lasting effects of intermittent exposure to EtOH and MDMA during adolescence on motor activity, anxiety, and social behavior were evaluated in adult mice. The concentration of brain monoamines in the striatum, cortex, and...
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior
November 2011
Manuel Daza‐losada, José Miñarro, María A. Aguilar et al.
Cannabis is one of the drugs most commonly consumed in combination with ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA). Although numerous studies have attempted to further our understanding of the role of the cannabinoid system in drug abuse, few have focused on how it influences the rewarding effects of MDMA. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of the CB1 cannabinoid...
Addiction Biology
October 13, 2011
Bruno Ribeiro Do Couto, Manuel Daza‐losada, Marta Rodrı́guez-arias et al.
26 citations
ABSTRACT Many adolescents often take ethanol (EtOH) in combination with 3,4‐methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA). In the present work, we used a mouse model to study the effect of repeated pre‐exposure during adolescence to EtOH (2 g/kg), MDMA (10 or 20 mg/kg) or EtOH + MDMA on the rewarding and reinstating effects of MDMA in the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Pre‐exposure to...
Behavioral and Brain Functions
March 22, 2010
Carmen Manzanedo, Marta Rodríguez‐arias, Manuel Daza‐losada et al.
36 citations
Abstract Background Numerous reports indicate that MDMA users consume other psychoactive drugs, among which cannabis is one of the most common. The aim of the present study was to evaluate, using the conditioned place preference, the effect of the cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 on the rewarding effects of MDMA in mice. Methods In the first experiment adolescent mice were initially conditioned...
Addiction Biology
September 8, 2009
Manuel Daza‐losada, Marta Rodríguez‐arias, María A. Aguilar et al.
37 citations
ABSTRACT Those who take ecstasy are more likely to consume other drugs than non‐users with cocaine abuse being reported by 75.5% of high school student MDMA (± 3,4‐methylenedioxymetamphetamine hydrochloride) users. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of exposure during adolescence to MDMA, cocaine or to both drugs on the MDMA‐induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in adult...
Neurotoxicology and Teratology
2009
Manuel Daza‐losada, Marta Rodríguez‐arias, Concepción Maldonado et al.
The poly-drug pattern is the most common among those observed in MDMA users, with cocaine being a frequently associated drug. This study evaluates the acute effects of MDMA (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg), alone or in combination with cocaine (25 mg/kg), on motor activity, anxiety (elevated plus maze and social interaction test), memory and brain monoamines in adolescent mice. Both drugs, administered...