Acute effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and R(-) MDMA on actigraphy-based daytime activity and sleep parameters in rhesus monkeys.
Lais Fernanda Berro, Hannah Shields, Melis Odabas-Geldiay, Barbara O Rothbaum, Mônica L. Andersen, Leonard Lee Howell
Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology June 25, 2018 DOI: 10.1037/pha0000196 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | R(-) MDMA |
| Dose | 0.3, 1.0, or 1.7 mg/kg |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key points | Afternoon, but not morning, MDMA altered sleep-like parameters in monkeys: racemic MDMA increased sleep latency yet improved sleep efficiency and reduced wake time after sleep onset in subjects with low baseline sleep efficiency, while R(-) MDMA improved sleep without affecting daytime activity. The authors propose that stimulant and sleep-disrupting effects are mediated by dopaminergic and noradrenergic mechanisms, whereas serotonergic pathways appear involved in sleep-promoting effects. |
Abstract
(-) MDMA (0.3, 1.0, or 1.7 mg/kg) at 9 or 16 h (3 h before "lights off"). Morning treatments had no effects on sleep-like parameters. Racemic MDMA decreased general daytime activity during the first hour after injection and increased daytime activity at 3 hr posttreatment. Although afternoon administration of racemic MDMA increased sleep latency, it improved other sleep parameters, decreasing wake time after sleep onset (WASO) and increasing sleep efficiency for subjects with low baseline sleep efficiency. Afternoon treatment with R(-) MDMA improved sleep measures, increasing sleep efficiency and decreasing sleep latency and WASO, while having no effects on daytime activity. The stimulant and sleep-disrupting effects of racemic MDMA are likely mediated by dopaminergic and noradrenergic mechanisms, while serotonergic pathways appear to be involved in the sleep-promoting effects of MDMA. (PsycINFO Database Record
Citations in the library
Cites 35
- Amphetamine-type central nervous system stimulants release norepinephrine more potently than they release dopamine and serotonin Synapse 2000
- Durability of improvement in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and absence of harmful effects or drug dependency after 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy: a prospective long-term follow-up study. Journal of Psychopharmacology 2013
- Novel psychopharmacological therapies for psychiatric disorders: psilocybin and MDMA. The Lancet Psychiatry April 5, 2016
- The Background and Chemistry of MDMA Journal of Psychoactive Drugs October 1, 1986
- A review of the acute subjective effects of MDMA/ecstasy Addiction March 24, 2006
and 30 more in the library