Increased responsiveness to MDMA in adult rats treated neonatally with MDMA.
Brian J. Piper, Jerrold S. Meyer
Neurotoxicology and Teratology 2006 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2005.09.002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Male Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to MDMA on postnatal days 1-4 and tested in adulthood |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Dose | two 10 mg/kg injections with an inter-dose interval of 4 h on postnatal days 1-4; acute challenge 10 mg/kg i.p. |
| Duration | Postnatal days 1-4 exposure; object-recognition testing on postnatal days 68-73 |
| Measures | object-recognition memory task, radiolabeled citalopram binding to the serotonin transporter, thermal response, behavioral response (serotonin syndrome, headweaving stereotypy) |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | Neonatal MDMA exposure did not alter working memory or serotonin transporter binding in young adulthood, but pretreated rats showed increased thermal dysregulation and serotonin syndrome responses, particularly headweaving stereotypy, after an acute MDMA challenge. The authors suggest that offspring of ecstasy-using women may be at risk for enhanced sensitivity to the drug. |
Abstract
MDMA [(+/-)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as ecstasy] is a popular recreational drug among women of reproductive age. The objective of this study was to investigate the long-term neurobehavioral consequences of early developmental MDMA exposure. On postnatal days (PD) 1-4, Sprague-Dawley rats received two 10 mg/kg injections of MDMA with an inter-dose interval of 4 h. Male subjects were tested in adulthood for their performance in an object-recognition memory task and for their thermal and behavioral responses to an acute MDMA challenge (10 mg/kg i.p.). Neonatal MDMA administration did not alter working memory in the object-recognition test in young adulthood (PD 68-73) and there were no differences in radiolabeled citalopram binding to the serotonin transporter at this age. However, the pretreated animals showed increased thermal dysregulation and serotonin syndrome responses (particularly headweaving stereotypy) following the MDMA challenge. These results add to the growing literature demonstrating that developmental MDMA administration can lead to long-lasting functional abnormalities, and they further suggest that the offspring of ecstasy-using women may be at risk for enhanced sensitivity to this drug due to their earlier exposure.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- A developmental comparison of the neurobehavioral effects of ecstasy (MDMA) Neurotoxicology and Teratology October 21, 2006
- The Nature of 3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-Induced Serotonergic Dysfunction: Evidence for and Against the Neurodegeneration Hypothesis Current Neuropharmacology March 1, 2011
- Adolescent MDMA exposure diminishes the physiological and neurotoxic consequences of an MDMA binge in female rats Developmental Psychobiology July 1, 2014
- Psychedelic-induced behavioral and developmental effects on zebrafish: a systematic review. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry October 20, 2025
- A perspective on psychedelic teratogenicity: the utility of Zebrafish models. TIPS - Trends in Pharmacological Sciences August 1, 2023
and 5 more in the library
Cites 14
- Human Pharmacology of MDMA Therapeutic Drug Monitoring March 19, 2004
- 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
- Derivatives of 1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-butanamine: representatives of a novel therapeutic class Journal of Medicinal Chemistry October 1, 1986
- A study of the neurotoxic effect of MDMA (‘ecstasy’) on 5‐HT neurones in the brains of mothers and neonates following administration of the drug during pregnancy British Journal of Pharmacology June 1, 1997
- 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Ecstasy)-Induced Learning and Memory Impairments Depend on the Age of Exposure during Early Development Journal of Neuroscience May 1, 2001
and 9 more in the library