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Direct effects of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on serotonin or dopamine release and uptake in the caudate putamen, nucleus accumbens, substantia nigra pars reticulata, and the dorsal raphé nucleus slices

Mahmoud M. Iravani, Daniel Asari, Jyoti C. Patel, Walter J. Wieczorek, Zygmunt L. Kruk

Synapse April 27, 2000 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-2396(20000615)36:4<275::aid-syn4>3.0.co;2-# (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Experimental study Peer reviewed
Population Rat brain slices
Intervention pressure ejection of MDMA
Topics Serotonin MDMA
Keywords Nucleus accumbens Dopamine Caudate nucleus Putamen Dorsal raphe nucleus Substantia nigra 5-ht4 receptor
Citations 56
Key findings MDMA is not a releaser of dopamine or serotonin but is a potent inhibitor of their uptake, and it potentiates electrically stimulated serotonin release in the substantia nigra pars reticulata and dopamine release in the caudate putamen.

Abstract

We examined the effects of pressure ejected 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) from a micropipette on direct chemically stimulated release, and on electrically stimulated serotonin (5-HT) or dopamine (DA) release in the caudate putamen (CPu), nucleus accumbens (NAc), substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr), and the dorsal raphé nucleus (DRN) brain slices of rat, using fast cyclic voltammetry (FCV). MDMA is electroactive, oxidising at +1100 mV. When the anodic input waveform was reduced from +1.4 to +1.0 volt, MDMA was not electroactive. Using this waveform, pressure ejection of MDMA did not release 5-HT or DA in brain slices prepared from any of the nuclei studied. MDMA significantly potentiated electrically stimulated 5-HT release in the SNr and DA release in CPu. In the DRN or in the NAc, MDMA was without effect on peak electrically stimulated 5-HT or DA release. The rates of neurotransmitter uptake, expressed as t(1/2), were in all cases significantly decreased after MDMA. The results indicate that MDMA, unlike (+)amphetamine, is not as a releaser of DA or 5-HT, it is a potent inhibitor of both DA and 5-HT uptake.

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