Amphetamine toxicities
Bryan K. Yamamoto, Anna Moszczyńska, Gary A. Gudelsky
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences January 8, 2010 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05141.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | MDMA |
| Keywords | Methamphetamine Neurotoxicity Neuroinflammation Pharmacology Oxidative stress |
| Citations | 280 |
| Key findings | Multiple interacting mechanisms—including oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, neuroinflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction—mediate neurotoxicity from methamphetamine and MDMA, and chronic stress or HIV infection can augment this damage. |
Abstract
The drugs of abuse, methamphetamine and MDMA, produce long‐term decreases in markers of biogenic amine neurotransmission. These decreases have been traditionally linked to nerve terminals and are evident in a variety of species, including rodents, nonhuman primates, and humans. Recent studies indicate that the damage produced by these drugs may be more widespread than originally believed. Changes indicative of damage to cell bodies of biogenic and nonbiogenic amine–containing neurons in several brain areas and endothelial cells that make up the blood–brain barrier have been reported. The processes that mediate this damage involve not only oxidative stress but also include excitotoxic mechanisms, neuroinflammation, the ubiquitin proteasome system, as well as mitochondrial and neurotrophic factor dysfunction. These mechanisms also underlie the toxicity associated with chronic stress and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, both of which have been shown to augment the toxicity to methamphetamine. Overall, multiple mechanisms are involved and interact to promote neurotoxicity to methamphetamine and MDMA. Moreover, the high coincidence of substituted amphetamine abuse by humans with HIV and/or chronic stress exposure suggests a potential enhanced vulnerability of these individuals to the neurotoxic actions of the amphetamines.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- The ugly side of amphetamines: short- and long-term toxicity of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘Ecstasy’), methamphetamine and d-amphetamine Biological Chemistry January 2, 2011
- A prospective study of learning, memory, and executive function in new MDMA users Addiction July 26, 2012
- MDMA and 5‐HT neurotoxicity: the empirical evidence for its adverse effects in humans – no need for translation British Journal of Pharmacology March 9, 2012
- Para-Halogenation of Amphetamine and Methcathinone Increases the Mitochondrial Toxicity in Undifferentiated and Differentiated SH-SY5Y Cells International Journal of Molecular Sciences April 18, 2020
- Increased iNOS and Nitrosative Stress in Dopaminergic Neurons of MDMA-Exposed Rats International Journal of Molecular Sciences March 12, 2019
and 8 more in the library
Cites 11
- Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) cause selective ablation of serotonergic axon terminals in forebrain: immunocytochemical evidence for neurotoxicity Journal of Neuroscience August 1, 1988
- Hallucinogenic Amphetamine Selectively Destroys Brain Serotonin Nerve Terminals Science September 6, 1985
- (±3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Selectively Damages Central Serotonergic Neurons in Nonhuman Primates JAMA July 1, 1988
- Age-dependent sensitivity of rats to the long-term effects of the serotonergic neurotoxicant (+/-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) correlates with the magnitude of the MDMA-induced thermal response. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics October 1, 1995
- Methamphetamine and MDMA (Ecstasy) Neurotoxicity: 'of Mice and Men' IUBMB Life May 1, 2004
and 6 more in the library