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Differential effects of MDMA and cocaine on inhibitory avoidance and object recognition tests in rodents.

María Pilar García-pardo, Jose Enrique De la Rubia Ortí, Maria Asunción Aguilar Calpe

Neurobiology of Learning and Memory December 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.10.013 (opens in new tab)

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Characteristics Systematic review Peer reviewed
Population Rodents (rats or mice) in studies of cocaine or MDMA exposure
Interventions Cocaine MDMA
Measures object recognition test, inhibitory avoidance test
Topics MDMA
Keywords Cocaine Inhibitory avoidance Memory Object recognition Rodents
Key findings Cocaine and MDMA produced similar impairments on object recognition memory during critical developmental periods or after abstinence from prolonged adult consumption. Inhibitory avoidance memory deficits were observed only in adult rodents exposed to MDMA. The authors suggest psychostimulant abuse may induce memory impairments and could facilitate future neurodegenerative disorders.

Abstract

Drug addiction continues being a major public problem faced by modern societies with different social, health and legal consequences for the consumers. Consumption of psychostimulants, like cocaine or MDMA (known as ecstasy) are highly prevalent and cognitive and memory impairments have been related with the abuse of these drugs. The aim of this work was to review the most important data of the literature in the last 10 years about the effects of cocaine and MDMA on inhibitory avoidance and object recognition tests in rodents. The object recognition and the inhibitory avoidance tests are popular procedures used to assess different types of memory. We compare the effects of cocaine and MDMA administration in these tests, taking in consideration different factors such as the period of life development of the animals (prenatal, adolescence and adult age), the presence of polydrug consumption or the role of environmental variables. Brain structures involved in the effects of cocaine and MDMA on memory are also described. Cocaine and MDMA induced similar impairing effects on the object recognition test during critical periods of lifetime or after abstinence of prolonged consumption in adulthood. Deficits of inhibitory avoidance memory are observed only in adult rodents exposed to MDMA. Psychostimulant abuse is a potential factor to induce memory impairments and could facilitate the development of future neurodegenerative disorders.

Comparable studies

Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on MDMA, most cited first.

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