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Developmental 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) impairs sequential and spatial but not cued learning independent of growth, litter effects or injection stress

Michael T. Williams, Laronda L. Morford, Sandra L. Wood, Stephanie Rock, Anne E Mccrea, Masao Fukumura, Tanya L. Wallace, Harry W. Broening, Mary S. Moran, Charles V. Vorhees

Brain Research March 25, 2003 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(02)04278-6 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Experimental study Peer reviewed
Population Rat pups from litters of standard or double size
Intervention MDMA
Dose 20 mg/kg
Duration Treatment from postnatal day 11 to 20; testing in adulthood
Topics MDMA
Keywords Litter Water maze Spatial learning Endocrinology Hippocampus Animal science Developmental psychology
Citations 66
Key findings MDMA exposure from postnatal days 11 to 20 causes lasting spatial learning and memory deficits in rats that are not explained by growth retardation, injection stress, or litter composition.

Abstract

Previously, we have shown that rats administered MDMA from postnatal (P) days 11-20 had reductions in body weight during the period of treatment and as adults they had deficits in sequential and spatial learning and memory. In the present study, to control for weight reductions, we used litters with double the number of offspring to induce growth restriction comparable to that of standard size litters treated with MDMA. Litters were treated twice daily from P11 to 20 with vehicle or MDMA (20 mg/kg) or only weighed. Males, but not females, exposed to MDMA had longer latencies and more errors in the Cincinnati water maze compared to males of the other treatments. In the Morris water maze (210 cm pool, 10x10 cm platform), the MDMA animals were impaired relative to all other treatments during acquisition. Only the MDMA females showed deficits when the platform was shifted to a new location, however, both MDMA males and females were impaired when the location of the platform was again shifted and a reduced platform (5x5 cm) used. No differences were observed in the ability to swim a straight channel, locate a platform with a cue, or the endocrine response to forced swim among the treatment groups. No differences were seen between animals injected with saline and those only weighed. The data suggest that factors, such as growth retardation, multiple injections, or the composition of the litter, do not affect the development of learning and memory impairments resulting from P11 to 20 MDMA exposure. The large litter approach offers a novel method to control for undernutrition during the preweaning period in rodents.

Comparable studies

Other experimental studies on MDMA, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Amphetamine-type central nervous system stimulants release norepinephrine more potently than they release dopamine and serotonin 2000 Experimental study
Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) cause selective ablation of serotonergic axon terminals in forebrain: immunocytochemical evidence for neurotoxicity Rat brain 1988 Experimental study
The molecular mechanism of "ecstasy" [3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA)]: serotonin transporters are targets for MDMA-induced serotonin release. Human platelet plasma membrane vesicles and bovine adrenal chromaffin granule membrane... 1992 Laboratory study
Oxytocin-dependent reopening of a social reward learning critical period with MDMA 2019 Experimental study
Effects of certain hallucinogenic amphetamine analogs on the release of [3H]-serotonin from rat brain synaptosomes Rat whole brain synaptosomes 1982 Experimental study

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