Neuropharmacology of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”) and its stereoisomers: a combined positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging study in rhesus monkeys
Kevin S. Murnane, Leonard L. Howell
The FASEB Journal April 1, 2011 DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.1083.5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Fully conscious rhesus monkeys |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | MDMA and its stereoisomers increased brain activation in serotonergic regions, but only S,R(+/−)- and S(+)-MDMA increased activation in dopaminergic regions. Brain biodistribution correlated with activational effects, implicating dopamine and serotonin in MDMA's neuropharmacology. |
Abstract
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a substituted amphetamine derivative that is widely abused as the street drug “ecstasy”. Despite its high abuse liability, the neuropharmacology of MDMA remains poorly understood. In the present study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used in fully conscious rhesus monkeys to characterize the neuroactivational effects of MDMA and its stereoisomers. In addition, the brain biodistribution of each form of MDMA was measured using positron emission tomography imaging. All three forms of MDMA increased brain activation in regions that receive serotonergic innervation. Furthermore, only S, R(+/−)- and S(+)-MDMA increased activation in regions that receive dopaminergic innervation. Importantly, the brain biodistribution of each form of MDMA showed marked relevance for its brain activational effects. Collectively, this work implicates changes in dopamine and serotonin neurotransmission in the neuropharmacology of MDMA. Moreover, the concordance between the brain distribution of MDMA and its neuroactivational effects supports the continued development of fMRI as a novel technique in the study of neuropharmacology. As such, these studies represent an important expansion of our understanding of the neuropharmacology of MDMA and the validity of fMRI assays. These studies were supported by USPHS grants (DA 10344, DA 00517, and RR 00165).
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.