Neural correlates of MDMA (“Ecstasy”)-induced social interaction in rats
Murray R. Thompson, Glenn E. Hunt, Iain S. Mcgregor
Social Neuroscience June 21, 2008 DOI: 10.1080/17470910802045042 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Male Wistar rats |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Dose | 5 mg/kg |
| Duration | 60 min |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Keywords | Amygdala Prosocial behavior Hallucinogen Nucleus accumbens Endocrinology Central nervous system |
| Citations | 48 |
| Key findings | A moderate dose of MDMA given in a social context causes considerably greater brain activation than the same dose given to solitary rats, involving neural circuits that regulate affiliative behavior. |
Abstract
The popular drug 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy", "the Love Drug") produces feelings of love and closeness in humans and induces analogous prosocial and antiaggressive effects in laboratory animals. Here we examined the specific brain regions that may be involved in these prosocial effects. Male Wistar rats were pretreated with a moderate dose of MDMA (5 mg/kg) or vehicle and then either kept alone in a familiar test chamber for 60 min (groups MDMA-ALONE and VEHICLE-ALONE) or allowed to engage in social interaction in the familiar test chamber with an unfamiliar same-sex conspecific for 60 min (groups MDMA-SOCIAL and VEHICLE-SOCIAL). Rats in the MDMA-SOCIAL group showed much greater overall social interaction than rats in the VEHICLE-SOCIAL group, with microanalysis revealing increased general investigation of other rats but decreased anogenital sniffing. Analysis of neural activation across 39 brain regions using Fos immunohistochemistry showed the following results: (1) VEHICLE-SOCIAL and VEHICLE-ALONE groups did not differ in Fos expression, indicating that a social context per se did not affect Fos expression, (2) MDMA-treated groups showed significantly increased Fos expression relative to VEHICLE treated groups in 30 brain regions, (3) the MDMA-SOCIAL group showed augmented Fos expression relative to the MDMA-ALONE group in six brain regions including the caudate-putamen (medial), medial preoptic area, paraventricular thalamic nucleus, central amygdala, ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, and the medial amygdala (posterodorsal), and (4) the MDMA-SOCIAL group (but not the MDMA-ALONE group) showed augmented Fos expression relative to the VEHICLE groups in the nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmental area and periaqueductal grey. These results indicate that a moderate dose of MDMA given in a social context causes considerably greater brain activation than the same dose given to solitary rats. This activation involves specific neural circuits that are known to regulate affiliative behavior, perhaps by modulating the incentive value of social stimuli. A possible role for the neuropeptide oxytocin in mediating the prosocial effects of MDMA is discussed.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 32
- The Effects of Acutely Administered 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine on Spontaneous Brain Function in Healthy Volunteers Measured with Arterial Spin Labeling and Blood Oxygen Level–Dependent Resting State Functional Connectivity Biological Psychiatry January 10, 2014
- Breakthrough for Trauma Treatment: Safety and Efficacy of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Compared to Paroxetine and Sertraline Frontiers in Psychiatry September 12, 2019
- The Prosocial Effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA): Controlled Studies in Humans and Laboratory Animals Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 25, 2015
- MDMA-assisted therapy: A new treatment model for social anxiety in autistic adults. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry January 4, 2016
- ‘Ecstasy’ as a social drug: MDMA preferentially affects responses to emotional stimuli with social content Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience March 27, 2014
and 27 more in the library
Cites 4
- A review of the acute subjective effects of MDMA/ecstasy Addiction March 24, 2006
- A review of acute effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in healthy volunteers Journal of Psychopharmacology March 1, 2006
- The varieties of ecstatic experience: an exploration of the subjective experiences of ecstasy. Journal of Psychopharmacology September 1, 2006
- Altered states: the clinical effects of Ecstasy. Pharmacology & Therapeutics April 2003