Aromatic Bromination Abolishes Deficits in Visuospatial Learning Induced by MDMA (“Ecstasy”) in Rats While Preserving the Ability to Increase LTP in the Prefrontal Cortex
Patricio Sáez-briones, Boris Palma, Héctor Burgos, Rafael Barra, Alejandro Hernández
International Journal of Molecular Sciences February 13, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043724 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats |
| Interventions | MDMA 2Br-4 5-MDMA |
| Dose | 1 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg i.p. |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Keywords | Long-term potentiation Prefrontal cortex Working memory Spatial memory Cognition Biochemistry |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Aromatic bromination of MDMA preserves long-term visuospatial memory and slightly accelerates short-term memory in rats, while MDMA impairs both, and both compounds increase LTP in the prefrontal cortex. |
Abstract
It has recently been demonstrated that aromatic bromination at C(2) abolishes all typical psychomotor, and some key prosocial effects of the entactogen MDMA in rats. Nevertheless, the influence of aromatic bromination on MDMA-like effects on higher cognitive functions remains unexplored. In the present work, the effects of MDMA and its brominated analog 2Br-4,5-MDMA (1 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg i.p. each) on visuospatial learning, using a radial, octagonal Olton maze (4 × 4) which may discriminate between short-term and long-term memory, were compared with their influence on in vivo long-term potentiation (LTP) in the prefrontal cortex in rats. The results obtained indicate that MDMA diminishes both short- and long-term visuospatial memory but increases LTP. In contrast, 2Br-4,5-MDMA preserves long-term visuospatial memory and slightly accelerates the occurrence of short-term memory compared to controls, but increases LTP, like MDMA. Taken together, these data are consistent with the notion that the modulatory effects induced by the aromatic bromination of the MDMA template, which abolishes typical entactogenic-like responses, might be extended to those effects affecting higher cognitive functions, such as visuospatial learning. This effect seems not to be associated with the increase of LTP in the prefrontal cortex.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
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