Sex differences in the neurochemical and functional effects of MDMA in Sprague-Dawley rats.
Q David Walker, Christina N Williams, Rakesh P Jotwani, Samuel T Waller, Reynold Francis, Cynthia M Kuhn
Psychopharmacology January 2007 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-006-0531-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Male and female rats |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Dose | 15 mg/kg, bid for 4 days |
| Duration | 4-day treatment, with follow-up at 2 weeks |
| Measures | elevated plus maze, brain serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | MDMA caused greater acute locomotor activation in female rats than in males, with females showing sensitization to a challenge two weeks later. Persistent effects on anxiety-like behavior and brain serotonin content were similar between sexes. |
Abstract
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "Ecstasy") use has been associated with acute toxicities and persistent depletion of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT). This study investigates whether sex differences in the acute and long-term effects of MDMA exist. Male and female rats received saline or 15 mg/kg MDMA, ip, bid for 4 days. Temperature was monitored on days 1 and 4. Locomotor activity was measured in a second cohort of animals on days 1 and 4 and after recovery on day 14. The effects of MDMA on performance in a plus maze task and brain levels of serotonin (5-HT) and the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were determined in a third cohort of animals 2 weeks after the last MDMA treatment. Locomotor activity and temperature increased after MDMA administration on day 1. The drug-induced increases in temperature but not locomotion attenuated with repeated MDMA administration. Male and female MDMA-treated rats spent less time in the open arms of the elevated plus maze and had less 5-HT and 5-HIAA in all brain regions 2 weeks after the end of treatment. Temperature effects of MDMA and persistent effects on plus maze and brain serotonin content were similar in males and females. In contrast, females exhibited markedly greater locomotor stimulation after acute MDMA and also showed sensitization to an acute challenge 2 weeks later. MDMA elicits substantially greater locomotor activation in female rats than in males, but persistent effects on anxiety and serotonin content were similar in males and females.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
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- Sex‐dependent long‐term effects of adolescent exposure to THC and/or MDMA on neuroinflammation and serotoninergic and cannabinoid systems in rats British Journal of Pharmacology November 15, 2013
- Development and Characterization of a Novel Animal Model of Intermittent MDMA (“Ecstasy”) Exposure during Adolescence Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences October 1, 2008
- Sex-Dependent Psychoneuroendocrine Effects of THC and MDMA in an Animal Model of Adolescent Drug Consumption PLoS One November 4, 2013
- Examining the role of oxytocin in the interoceptive effects of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’) using a drug discrimination paradigm in the rat Addiction Biology November 11, 2010
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Cites 28
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- Gender differences in the subjective effects of MDMA Psychopharmacology March 5, 2001
- Small Changes in Ambient Temperature Cause Large Changes in 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-Induced Serotonin Neurotoxicity and Core Body Temperature in the Rat Journal of Neuroscience July 1, 1998
- Impaired cognitive performance in drug free users of recreational ecstasy (MDMA) Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry June 1, 2000
- Reducedin vivobinding to the serotonin transporter in the cerebral cortex of MDMA (‘ecstasy’) users The British Journal of Psychiatry July 1, 1999
and 23 more in the library