Parallel changes in serotonin levels in brain and blood following acute administration of MDMA

Cheryl M Collins; Joris Kloek; J.m. Elliott

doi:10.1177/0269881112463123

Parallel changes in serotonin levels in brain and blood following acute administration of MDMA

Cheryl M Collins, Joris Kloek, J.m. Elliott

Journal of Psychopharmacology October 10, 2012 DOI: 10.1177/0269881112463123 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract

Characteristics	Experimental animal study Peer reviewed
Population	Rats
Interventions	MDMA tryptophan supplement
Dose	20 mg/kg i.p. MDMA; 82.5 mg/kg p.o. tryptophan
Duration	Single administration with measurements at 2, 8, and 18 hours
Topics	MDMA Serotonin
Keywords	Serotonin transporter Platelet Citalopram Endocrinology Serotonin syndrome Pharmacology
Citations	28
Key findings	Blood serotonin levels paralleled brain serotonin changes after acute MDMA administration in rats, indicating blood serotonin may serve as a peripheral marker for central serotonin.

Abstract

Recent studies have demonstrated a similar acute effect of 3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in blood platelets and brain tissue via action on the serotonin transporter. To investigate the validity of blood serotonin as a peripheral marker for central serotonin in this regard, we administered MDMA (20 mg/kg i.p.) to rats and observed a parallel decrease in serotonin levels in the frontal cortex and blood at 2 h (63% and 46% respectively) with some recovery evident at 8 h (42% and 38%) and more so at 18 h (19% and 24% below control levels). Administration of a tryptophan supplement (82.5 mg/kg p.o.) to naïve rats produced parallel increases in serotonin levels 2 h later in the frontal cortex (39%) and blood (26%). Following MDMA administration, the same dose of tryptophan caused a smaller (26%) rise in brain serotonin whereas in blood it had no effect. We conclude that blood serotonin is a useful marker for brain serotonin levels in the rat following acute administration of MDMA and this finding highlights the possible use of platelet serotonin as a marker for brain serotonin in human studies involving MDMA.

Comparable studies

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

Study	Year	Design
Neurotoxicity of the psychedelic amphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Rats (implied by typical neurochemical study context)	1987	Experimental study
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine destroy serotonin terminals in rat brain: quantification of neurodegeneration by measurement of [3H]paroxetine-labeled serotonin uptake sites. Rat brain	1987	Animal experiment
Comparison of the monoamine transporters from human and mouse in their sensitivities to psychostimulant drugs Human and mouse dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin transporters expressed in cells	2006	In vitro laboratory study
Small Changes in Ambient Temperature Cause Large Changes in 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-Induced Serotonin Neurotoxicity and Core Body Temperature in the Rat Rats	1998	Experimental study
Altered Serotonin Innervation Patterns in the Forebrain of Monkeys Treated with (±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Seven Years Previously: Factors Influencing Abnormal Recovery Squirrel monkeys treated with MDMA	1999	Observational cohort

Citations in the library

Cited by 1

Increased kynurenine concentration attenuates serotonergic neurotoxicity induced by 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in rats through activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor. Neuropharmacology February 16, 2021

Cites 6

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