Addiction Biology
January 2010
Tathiana A. Alvarenga, Mônica L. Andersen, Daniel A Ribeiro et al.
We evaluated the overall genetic damage induced by different doses of cocaine and MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) in several organs. One hour after intraperitoneal drug administration, mice were euthanized; peripheral blood, liver and brain were collected, and the cellular suspensions were used for the single cell gel (comet) assay. We determined that all doses of cocaine and MDMA...
Addiction Biology
January 2010
Rocío Martín‐Santos, Marta Torrens, Sandra Poudevida et al.
A 3-year longitudinal prospective study was conducted to compare the incidence of substance use disorders (SUD) and non-substance use disorders (NSUD) among ecstasy users and two control groups: one of cannabis users and the other of non-drug users. The 5-HTTLPR polymorphism related to NSUD was also studied. A total of 94 subjects were included: 37 ecstasy users, 23 cannabis users and 34...
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...
Addiction Biology
April 2009
Ema Alves, Teresa Summavielle, Cecília Juliana Alves et al.
The administration of a neurotoxic dose of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; 'ecstasy') to the rat results in mitochondrial oxidative damage in the central nervous system, namely lipid and protein oxidation and mitochondrial DNA deletions with subsequent impairment of the correspondent protein expression. Although these toxic effects were shown to be prevented by monoamine oxidase B...
Addiction Biology
September 2008
Jenny L Wiley, Rhys L Evans, Darren B Grainger et al.
Lifelong substance abuse is often initiated during adolescence; yet, most pre-clinical research in this area has been conducted in adult animals. Substantial evidence exists that the brain development that continues throughout adolescence may result in pharmacological responses that differ in a crucial manner from those of adults. The goal of this study was to evaluate age differences in motor...
Addiction Biology
June 2008
Roger G Pertwee
A major finding--that (-)-trans-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC) is largely responsible for the psychotropic effects of cannabis--prompted research in the 1970s and 1980s that led to the discovery that this plant cannabinoid acts through at least two types of cannabinoid receptor, CB(1) and CB(2), and that Delta(9)-THC and other compounds that target either or both of these...
Addiction Biology
June 2008
F Markus Leweke, Dagmar Koethe
Since the discovery of the endocannabinoid system, a growing body of psychiatric research has emerged focusing on the role of this system in major psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD), major depression and anxiety disorder. Continuing in the line of earlier epidemiological studies, recent replication studies indicate that frequent cannabis use doubles the risk...
Addiction Biology
June 2008
Ziva D. Cooper, Margaret Haney
Awareness of cannabis dependence as a clinically relevant issue has grown in recent years. Clinical and laboratory studies demonstrate that chronic marijuana smokers can experience withdrawal symptoms upon cessation of marijuana smoking and have difficulty abstaining from marijuana use. This paper will review data implicating the cannabinoid CB1 receptor in regulating the behavioral effects of...
Addiction Biology
June 2008
Miriam Schneider
During puberty, neuronal maturation of the brain, which began during perinatal development, is completed such that the behavioral potential of the adult organism can be fully achieved. These maturational events and processes of reorganization are needed for the occurrence of adult behavioral performance but simultaneously render the organism highly susceptible to perturbations, such as exposure...
Addiction Biology
June 2008
Fabrício A. Moreira, Beat Lutz
The identification of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1 receptor) was the milestone discovery in the elucidation of the behavioural and emotional responses induced by the Cannabis sativa constituent Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol. The subsequent years have established the existence of the endocannabinoid system. The early view relating this system to emotional responses is reflected by the...
Addiction Biology
October 2, 2007
Firas H Kobeissy, Jennifer A. Jeung, Matthew W Warren et al.
47 citations
ABSTRACT Club drug abuse is a growing problem in the United States. Beyond addiction and toxicity are endocrine effects which are not well characterized. Specifically, the changes in appetite following exposure to drugs of abuse are an interesting but poorly understood phenomenon. Serum hormones such as leptin, ghrelin, growth hormone (GH), and neuropeptide‐Y (NP‐Y) are known to affect...
Addiction Biology
September 1, 2006
David H Overstreet, Amir H Rezvani, Michael Cowen et al.
19 citations
The Fawn-Hooded rat (FH/Wjd) is an inbred alcohol-preferring rat strain, unlike most of the other strains that were selectively bred for high alcohol intake and preference. It was chosen for study some 16 years ago because of a reported mutation that disrupted platelet serotonin function. Although the FH/Wjd rat has high alcohol intake (>5 g/kg/day) and preference (>65%), interbreeding with an...
Addiction Biology
December 1, 2005
Shannon C Miller
As part of a synthesis of evidence regarding the abuse and addiction liability of dextromethorphan (DM), an over-the-counter cough medicine available in over 140 preparations, an uncommonly published case of dextromethorphan dependence (addiction) is described, with specific, rarely published complications. The individual was interviewed and several medical databases were also reviewed...
Addiction Biology
December 1, 2003
Nahal Ketabi‐Kiyanvash, Johanna Weiss, Walter Emil Haefeli et al.
Abstract: There are increasing numbers of deaths related to taking MDMA, MDE and PMA reported where the deceased typically took several different drugs with these compounds. Hence, mutual modulation of the pharmacokinetics in drug combinations with “ecstasy” might be a risk factor for “ecstasy”‐related morbidity. Regarding potential drug‐drug interactions, there are no data evaluating a...
Addiction Biology
October 1, 2002
Torsten Passie, Juergen Seifert, Udo Schneider et al.
465 citations
Abstract Psilocybin (4‐phosphoryloxy‐N,N‐dimethyltryptamine) is the major psychoactive alkaloid of some species of mushrooms distributed worldwide.These mushrooms represent a growing problem regarding hallucinogenic drug abuse. Despite its experimental medical use in the 1960s, only very few pharmacological data about psilocybin were known until recently. Because of its still growing capacity...
Addiction Biology
2001
Rodney J. Irvine, Natasha P. Toop, Benjamin D. Phillis et al.
Abstract: A number of reports of severe acute toxicity as a result of recreational ingestion of what was believed to be 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (ecstasy) have revealed, on chemical analysis of the victim's blood, to be due to p‐methoxyamphetamine (PMA). Increased blood pressure and heart rate have been associated with this toxicity, which is exacerbated by high ambient...
Addiction Biology
July 1, 2000
L A Aerts, M Mallaret, H Rigter
12 citations
Abstract MBDB (N -methyl-1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-aminobutane) is the alpha-ethyl homologue of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine). MBDB is metabolized and excreted similarly to MDMA: presumably, the majority of oral MBDB is excreted in urine unmetabolized.The main metabolic routes in man are thought to be O-dealkylation and subsequent methylation, sulphation and glucuronidation of...
Addiction Biology
July 1, 1998
Alan O'Donohoe, Karen O’flynn, Kevin Shields et al.
29 citations
Abstract 3,4 Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) has become a major drug of abuse over the last decade. It produces a mixture of systemic and neuropsychological effects. Animal studies show a range of short‐ and long‐term toxic effects, both systemically and neurochemically. In humans, toxicity and death due to the drug have been attributed to a variety of causes, with...