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Effects of acute social stress on the conditioned place preference induced by MDMA in adolescent and adult mice

María Pilar García-pardo, Marta Rodrı́guez-arias, Concepción Maldonado, Carmen Manzanedo, José Miñarro, María A. Aguilar

Behavioural Pharmacology September 1, 2014 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000065 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Experimental study Peer reviewed
Population Adolescent (postnatal day 29-40) and adult (postnatal day 50-61) male mice
Interventions social defeat stress MDMA
Dose 1.25 or 10 mg/kg
Topics Anxiety MDMA
Keywords Social defeat Anxiogenic Conditioned place preference Agonistic behaviour Social stress Corticosterone Conditioning Developmental psychology Affect linguistics Endocrinology Dopamine Aggression Anxiolytic Hormone Communication
Citations 29
Key findings Social defeat stress decreases the sensitivity of adult mice to the rewarding effects of MDMA, as measured by conditioned place preference.

Abstract

Exposure to social defeat stress increases the rewarding effects of psychostimulants in animal models, but its effect on 3,4-methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA) reward has received little attention. In the present study, we evaluated the influence of social defeat on the rewarding effects of MDMA in adolescent [postnatal day (PND) 29-40] and adult (PND 50-61) male mice using the conditioned place preference paradigm. Experimental mice were exposed to social defeat in an agonistic encounter before each session of conditioning with 1.25 or 10 mg/kg of MDMA. The effects of social defeat on corticosterone levels and the motor or the anxiogenic effects of MDMA were also evaluated. Mice exposed to social defeat during adulthood did not show conditioned place preference after conditioning with either dose of MDMA. Conversely, social defeat did not affect the anxiogenic and motor effects of MDMA. Adult mice exposed to social defeat showed higher levels of corticosterone than their controls and adolescent mice. Social stress did not induce behavioural effects in adolescent mice. Our results show that stress induced by social defeat decreases the sensitivity of adult mice to the rewarding effects of MDMA.

Comparable studies

Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA for anxiety, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine facilitates fear extinction learning Mice 2015 Preclinical experimental study
MDMA in Adolescent Male Rats Adolescent male rats (postnatal day 45) 2006 Controlled experiment n = 12
Psychedelics: A review of their effects on recalled aversive memories and fear/anxiety expression in rodents Rodents 2024 Review
Differential behavioral outcomes of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA-ecstasy) in anxiety-like responses in mice 2-month-old Balb/c male mice (25-35 g) 2013 Observational study n = 70
Methylone is a rapid-acting neuroplastogen with less off-target activity than MDMA Rats 2024 Preclinical study

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