Effects of para-methoxyamphetamine (PMA) on agonistic encounters between male mice.
Mercedes Martín-López, Ana T Muela, María Cavas, José Francisco Navarro
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior April 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2018.02.002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethopharmacological study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Individually housed male mice exposed to anosmic standard opponents |
| Interventions | PMA MDMA |
| Dose | PMA 2, 4, 8, and 12 mg/kg, i.p.; MDMA 8 mg/kg, i.p. |
| Topics | Anxiety MDMA |
| Keywords | Aggression Agonistic encounters Mice Pma |
| Key points | PMA reduced offensive behaviors (threat and attack) at all tested doses in male mice, but the authors conclude the antiaggressive effect appears unspecific and dose-dependent. Lower doses increased social investigation and avoidance/flee behaviors, while higher doses (4-12 mg/kg) produced a profile suggesting anxiogenic effects similar to those reported for MDMA, except that PMA also produced immobility. |
Abstract
Para-methoxyamphetamine (PMA) is a synthetic drug chemically similar to the recreational drug 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA or "ecstasy") and often replaces MDMA in tablets that show an "ecstasy" logo. PMA displays a higher toxic potential than MDMA, but the behavioral profile of PMA has been scarcely studied in animal models. Here we evaluated the effects of PMA (2, 4, 8, and 12 mg/kg, i.p.) on agonist encounters between male mice using an ethopharmacological approach, the isolation-induced aggression model. Likewise, since PMA and MDMA share common mechanisms of action, we compared the behavioral profile of PMA with that induced by MDMA (8 mg/kg, i.p.) which behavioral effects in this model are well characterized. Individually housed mice were exposed to anosmic standard opponents 30 min after drug administration. The encounters were videotaped and evaluated using an ethologically based analysis. PMA (all doses) significantly reduced offensive behaviors (threat and attack), however, a detailed behavioral analysis suggests that the observed antiaggressive effect seems to be unspecific, showing a complex dose-dependent behavioral profile. Thus, antiaggresive actions observed after the administration of the lowest dose were accompanied by increases in social investigation, avoidance/flee behaviors and non-social explorations, together with a reduction of digging behavior. This pattern reflects both approach-contact behaviors and avoidance-flee behaviors. From 4 mg/kg to 12 mg/kg, the increase in social investigation previously observed disappears, and there is a slight increase in immobility, together with a different behavioral pattern that suggests anxiogenic effects of PMA, similar to those reported after the administration of MDMA. The higher doses of PMA exhibit a behavioral profile very similar to that observed in animals treated with MDMA, with the exception of the immobility produced by PMA. These findings show for the first time the non-specific antiaggressive profile of PMA in the model of aggression induced by isolation in male mice.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA for anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine facilitates fear extinction learning Mice | 2015 | Preclinical experimental study | |
| Effects of acute social stress on the conditioned place preference induced by MDMA in adolescent and adult mice Adolescent (postnatal day 29-40) and adult (postnatal day 50-61) male mice | 2014 | Experimental study | |
| MDMA in Adolescent Male Rats Adolescent male rats (postnatal day 45) | 2006 | Controlled experiment | n = 12 |
| Psychedelics: A review of their effects on recalled aversive memories and fear/anxiety expression in rodents Rodents | 2024 | Review | |
| Differential behavioral outcomes of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA-ecstasy) in anxiety-like responses in mice 2-month-old Balb/c male mice (25-35 g) | 2013 | Observational study | n = 70 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Targeting Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptors in the Treatment of Aggression: from Antipsychotics to Psychedelics. Aggression and violent behavior 2026
- Of mice and men on MDMA: a translational comparison of the neuropsychobiological effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine ('Ecstasy'). Brain Research November 14, 2019
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and 5 more in the library