The Nature of 3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-Induced Serotonergic Dysfunction: Evidence for and Against the Neurodegeneration Hypothesis
Current Neuropharmacology March 1, 2011 Dominik K. Biezonski, Jerrold S. Meyer 51 citations
High doses of MDMA (Ecstasy) reduce the expression of serotonergic markers in the forebrains of rats and nonhuman primates, and neuroimaging suggests similar reductions in the serotonin transporter (SERT) in heavy human users. These effects have often been interpreted as a loss of serotonergic fibers and terminals. However, this view is challenged because MDMA usually does not trigger glial cell reactions typical of central nervous system damage. This review addresses both sides of the MDMA-neurotoxicity controversy, including recent data from a rat binge model. The findings implicate neuroregulatory mechanisms underlying MDMA-induced serotonergic dysfunction and question the need to invoke degeneration.