Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘Ecstasy‘) Serves as a Robust Positive Reinforcer in a Rat Runway Procedure
Gudrun Wakonigg, Katja Sturm, Alois Saria, Gerald Zernig
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Animal experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Sprague-Dawley and Long-Evans rats |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Dose | 1 mg/kg |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | MDMA significantly decreased runtimes in both rat strains, demonstrating a positive reinforcing effect across strains and operant conditioning paradigms. |
Abstract
Although ‘ecstasy’ (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA) is, after marijuana, the second most prevalent illegal drug of abuse in European adolescents, animal experimental evidence of MDMA’s reinforcing effect has remained scarce, particularly in the rodent model, raising questions about the robustness of MDMA’s reinforcing effect under controlled laboratory conditions. In the present rat runway study, Sprague-Dawley and Long-Evans rats were given the opportunity to run for intravenous injections of saline or MDMA (1 mg/kg). MDMA significantly decreased runtimes in both rat strains. Thus, MDMA’s positive reinforcing effect can be demonstrated not only across rat strains but also across operant conditioning paradigms. These findings should reassure the drug abuse research community that the investigation of MDMA’s reinforcing effect in the inexpensive and widely used rodent model is indeed feasible.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) neurotoxicity in rats: a reappraisal of past and present findings Psychopharmacology March 15, 2006
- MDMA Self-Administration in Laboratory Animals: A Summary of the Literature and Proposal for Future Research Neuropsychobiology 2009
- Differential effects of intravenous R,S‐(±)‐3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy) and its S(+)‐ and R(−)‐enantiomers on dopamine transmission and extracellular signal regulated kinase phosphorylation (pERK) in the rat nucleus accumbens shell and core Journal of Neurochemistry January 22, 2007
- Assessment of the Reinforcing Properties of Orally Administered MDMA ('Ecstasy') in Rats 2010
- Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Ecstasy-Induced Neurotoxicity: An Overview Molecular Neurobiology June 1, 2009
and 2 more in the library
Cites 6
- (±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’)-Induced Serotonin Neurotoxicity: Studies in Animals Neuropsychobiology 2000
- Reinforcing Effects of MDMA (‘Ecstasy’) in Drug-Naive and Cocaine-Trained Rats Pharmacology 2001
- Ecstasy (MDMA): a review of its possible persistent psychological effects Psychopharmacology September 7, 2000
- Naltrindole, a delta-opioid antagonist, blocks MDMA's ability to enhance pressing for rewarding brain stimulation. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior February 1996
- Reinforcing effects of certain serotonin-releasing amphetamine derivatives. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior January 1996
and 1 more in the library