Reduced Contextual Discrimination following Alcohol Consumption or MDMA Administration in Mice.
Emily M Johansson, María S García-Gutiérrez, Maria Moscoso‐castro, Jorge Manzanares, Olga Valverde
PLoS One 2015 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142978 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Mice consuming alcohol and/or MDMA |
| Interventions | Alcohol MDMA |
| Measures | contextual fear discrimination task, Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | The authors report that voluntary alcohol consumption and high-dose MDMA are associated with induction of immune-activated pathways, that drug consumption impaired mice's performance on a contextual fear discrimination task, and that inflammatory alterations in the hippocampus persisted for several weeks after drug intake. |
Abstract
The recreational drugs, alcohol and 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") have both been shown to cause immune activation in vivo, and they are linked to cognitive impairment and anxiety-like behaviors in rodents. The neuronal effects of these drugs in the hippocampal area, an area that has been a focus of studies aiming to explain the mechanisms underlying anxiety related-disorders, remains poorly understood. Therefore we investigated the specific inflammatory impact of alcohol and MDMA on this area of the brain and on a hippocampal-related behavioral task. We centered our study on two inflammatory factors linked to anxiety-related disorders, namely Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). We subjected drug-consuming mice to a battery of behavioral tests to evaluate general activity, anxiety-like and depressive-live behaviors. We then introduced them to a contextual fear discrimination task and immune-related effects were examined by immunohistochemical and biochemical studies. Our results suggest that there is a relationship between the induction of immune activated pathways by voluntary alcohol consumption and a high-dose MDMA. Furthermore, the ability of mice to perform a contextual fear discrimination task was impaired by drug consumption and we report long term inflammatory alterations in the hippocampus even several weeks after drug intake. This information will be helpful for discovering new selective drug targets, and to develop treatments and preventive approaches for patients with anxiety-related disorders.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Psychedelics: A review of their effects on recalled aversive memories and fear/anxiety expression in rodents Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 20, 2024
- MDMA and memory, addiction, and depression: dose-effect analysis Psychopharmacology March 1, 2022
- Of mice and men on MDMA: a translational comparison of the neuropsychobiological effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine ('Ecstasy'). Brain Research November 14, 2019
- Cognitive Effects of MDMA in Laboratory Animals: A Systematic Review Focusing on Dose. Pharmacological Reviews July 1, 2019
Cites 6
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- Chronic MDMA (ecstasy) use, cognition and mood. Psychopharmacology May 2004
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