Discriminative‐stimulus effects of 3,4‐methylenedioxy‐N‐methylamphetamine (MDMA) and a novel MDMA quatenary analog
The FASEB Journal April 1, 2013 Jonathan M. Slezak, Melanie Mueller, George A. Ricaurte et al.
MDMA's behavioral effects are primarily due to central nervous system actions, not peripheral ones. In rats trained to distinguish MDMA from saline, the drug produced dose-related increases in drug-appropriate responses. A quaternary analog of MDMA (qMDMA), which cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, did not substitute for MDMA when given peripherally, but partially substituted when infused directly into the brain. This validates qMDMA as a tool for separating central from peripheral effects of MDMA.