Intravenous self-administration of mephedrone, methylone and MDMA in female rats
Kevin M Creehan, Sophia A. Vandewater, Michael A. Taffe
Neuropharmacology January 17, 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.01.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Female Wistar rats |
| Interventions | Mephedrone Methylone MDMA |
| Dose | 0.5 mg/kg/inf |
| Duration | 14 sessions for acquisition, followed by dose-substitution procedures |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Citations | 98 |
| Key findings | Female rats acquired self-administration of mephedrone, methylone, and MDMA, with mephedrone-trained rats showing significantly higher intake, but all three drugs had similar potency in dose-substitution tests. |
Abstract
Male rats will intravenously self-administer (IVSA) the substituted cathinone stimulants (“bath salts”) mephedrone (4-methylmethcathione) and methylone (3,4-methylenedioxymethcathinone) robustly, whereas the IVSA of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is inconsistent in many rat models. There are no data available on the self-administration of these drugs in female rats, thus a study was undertaken to contrast them directly. Groups of female Wistar rats were trained to self-administer mephedrone, methylone or MDMA (0.5 mg/kg/inf) under a Fixed-Ratio (FR) 1 schedule of reinforcement for 14 sessions. Following the acquisition interval, animals were evaluated in FR (0.0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5 mg/kg/inf) and PR (0.125, 1.0 mg/kg/inf) dose-substitution procedures. The results show that female rats acquired the self-administration of all three compounds with intakes in mephedrone-trained rats that were significantly higher than that of methylone-trained or MDMA-trained rats. In dose-substitution under either FR or PR contingencies, however, the potencies of all three drugs were similar within the original training groups. The mephedrone-trained animals exhibited higher intakes of all drugs during dose-substitution, indicating lasting consequences of the training drug. Abuse liability of these three compounds is therefore predicted to be similar in established stimulant users but may differ in liability if they are primary drugs of initiation.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 26
- Neuropharmacology of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS): Focus on the Rewarding and Reinforcing Properties of Cannabimimetics and Amphetamine-Like Stimulants Frontiers in Neuroscience April 19, 2016
- Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA): Serotonergic and dopaminergic mechanisms related to its use and misuse Journal of Neurochemistry March 12, 2021
- Pharmacological effects of methylone and MDMA in humans Frontiers in Pharmacology February 17, 2023
- Experimental strategies to discover and develop the next generation of psychedelics and entactogens as medicines Neuropharmacology December 15, 2022
- 5-Methoxy-α-methyltryptamine (5-MeO-AMT), a tryptamine derivative, induces head-twitch responses in mice through the activation of serotonin receptor 2a in the prefrontal cortex. Behavioural Brain Research February 1, 2019
and 21 more in the library
Cites 11
- MDMA self‐administration in rats: acquisition, progressive ratio responding and serotonin transporter binding European Journal of Neuroscience November 16, 2007
- Stereochemistry of mephedrone neuropharmacology: enantiomer‐specific behavioural and neurochemical effects in rats British Journal of Pharmacology September 26, 2014
- Contrasting effects of d-methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone, and 4-methylmethcathinone on wheel activity in rats Drug and Alcohol Dependence June 3, 2012
- The Reinforcing and Rewarding Effects of Methylone, a Synthetic Cathinone Commonly Found in “Bath Salts” Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy December 1, 2012
- Drug seeking in response to a priming injection of MDMA in rats: relationship to initial sensitivity to self-administered MDMA and dorsal striatal dopamine The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology March 25, 2010
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