Context‐dependent behavioural and neuronal sensitization in striatum to MDMA (ecstasy) administration in rats
Kevin T. Ball, Daniel Budreau, George V. Rebec
European Journal of Neuroscience July 1, 2006 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2006.04885.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Dose | 5.0 mg/kg |
| Duration | 5 days of daily injections, followed by a challenge injection 3–5 days later |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Citations | 40 |
| Key findings | A sensitized locomotor response to MDMA occurred only in rats that had previously experienced the drug in the same context as the challenge, and these animals showed a decreased basal firing rate in striatal neurons subsequently excited by MDMA. |
Abstract
Abstract To investigate the neuronal mechanisms underlying the behavioural alterations that accompany repeated exposure to MDMA (ecstasy), we recorded the activity of > 200 striatal units in response to multiple, intermittent, locomotor‐activating doses (5.0 mg/kg) of MDMA. Rats were treated with once‐daily injections of either saline or MDMA for 5 days when housed in their home cage, followed by a challenge injection 3–5 days later when housed in a recording chamber. Because contextual drug associations might be particularly important to the expression of behavioural sensitization to chronic MDMA, a separate group of rats received repeated injections of MDMA alternately in the recording chamber or home cage, according to the above timeline. A sensitized locomotor response was observed only in rats that had previously experienced MDMA in the context of the recording chamber, and only on the challenge day. These sensitized animals also showed a decreased basal firing rate in neurons that were subsequently excited by MDMA when compared with the same category of neurons earlier in the treatment regimen. This resulted in a greater percentage increase from the baseline firing rate on the challenge day compared with the first and fifth days of treatment, even though this trend was not evident with an analysis of absolute firing rate. These results strongly support a role for context in the expression of MDMA‐induced locomotor sensitization, and implicate striatal involvement in the neurobehavioural changes associated with the repeated use of MDMA.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 15
- Acute neuropsychological effects of MDMA and ethanol (co-)administration in healthy volunteers Psychopharmacology February 28, 2008
- Behavioral metabolomics: how behavioral data can guide metabolomics research on neuropsychiatric disorders. Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society August 2, 2023
- The entactogen MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, "Ecstasy") disrupts helping behaviour while reinforcing electrophysiological indicators of potentially associated synaptic plasticity in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Frontiers in Pharmacology 2026
- Prelimbic medial prefrontal cortex has bidirectional control over the expression of behavioral sensitization to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) depending on the context of drug administration. Neuroscience Letters June 4, 2022
- Repeated MDMA administration increases MDMA-produced locomotor activity and facilitates the acquisition of MDMA self-administration: role of dopamine D2 receptor mechanisms. Psychopharmacology February 10, 2017
and 10 more in the library
Cites 7
- The content of ecstasy tablets: implications for the study of their long‐term effects Addiction December 1, 2002
- Hyperthermia associated with 3,4‐methylenedioxyethamphetamine (‘Eve’) Anaesthesia June 1, 1993
- Stimulant effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in the nucleus accumbens of rat. European Journal of Pharmacology April 7, 1992
- The acute effects of amphetamine derivatives on extracellular serotonin and dopamine levels in rat nucleus accumbens. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior April 1998
- Hyperthermia following MDMA administration in rats: effects of ambient temperature, water consumption, and chronic dosing. Physiology & Behavior November 1, 1995
and 2 more in the library