Striatal serotonin is depleted in brain of a human MDMA (Ecstasy) user
Stephen J. Kish, Yoshiaki Furukawa, Lee-Cyn Ang, Shawn P Vorce, Kathryn S. Kalasinsky
Neurology July 25, 2000 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.55.2.294 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | Chronic MDMA user |
| Topics | MDMA Serotonin |
| Keywords | Dopamine Metabolite Pharmacology Human brain |
| Citations | 119 |
| Key findings | Striatal serotonin and its metabolite were severely depleted (50-80%) in a chronic MDMA user, while dopamine levels remained normal. |
Abstract
The authors found that striatal levels of serotonin and those of its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were severely depleted by 50 to 80% in brain of a chronic user of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) whereas concentrations of dopamine were within the normal control range. Our data suggest that MDMA exposure in the human can cause decreased tissue stores of serotonin and therefore some of the behavioral effects of this drug of abuse could be caused by massive release and depletion of brain serotonin.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on MDMA, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 'Eve' and 'Ecstasy'. A report of five deaths associated with the use of MDEA and MDMA Individuals whose deaths were associated with MDMA or MDEA use | 1987 | Case series | n = 5 |
| Pathology of deaths associated with "ecstasy" and "eve" misuse. Young white men aged 20 to 25 who died after using ring-substituted amphetamines (MDMA... | 1996 | Case series | n = 7 |
| 'Eve' and 'Ecstasy' Individuals who died after using MDMA or MDEA | 1987 | Case series | n = 5 |
| A Method of Conducting Therapeutic Sessions with MDMA Clients with clear therapeutic purpose, excluding those with serious functional... | 1998 | Case study | n = 2 |
| Diversity of Psychopathology Associated with use of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’) Psychiatric patients presenting between 1990 and 1992 whose symptoms developed in the... | 1994 | Case series | n = 13 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 35
- Human psychopharmacology of Ecstasy (MDMA): a review of 15 years of empirical research Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental December 1, 2001
- Chronic tolerance to recreational MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) or Ecstasy Journal of Psychopharmacology 2005
- A Voxel-Based PET Investigation of the Long-Term Effects of “Ecstasy” Consumption on Brain Serotonin Transporters American Journal of Psychiatry July 1, 2004
- Cognitive function and mood in MDMA/THC users, THC users and non-drug using controls Journal of Psychopharmacology March 1, 2006
- Long-Term Neuropsychiatric Consequences of "Ecstasy" (MDMA): A Review Harvard Review of Psychiatry 2002
and 30 more in the library
Cites 3
- Memory impairment in abstinent MDMA ("Ecstasy") users Neurology December 1, 1998
- The acute effects of amphetamine derivatives on extracellular serotonin and dopamine levels in rat nucleus accumbens. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior April 1998
- The effects of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") on monoaminergic neurotransmission in the central nervous system. Progress in Neurobiology August 1996