Administration of MDMA to ethanol-deprived rats increases ethanol operant self-administration and dopamine release during reinstatement.
Guillermo Moreno-Sanz, Esther O'Shea, Laura Orío, Isabel Escobedo, Gustavo González-Cuevas, Miguel Navarro, María Isabel Colado, Jose Antonio López‐moreno
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology August 2009 DOI: 10.1017/s1461145709009912 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preclinical experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Dark Agouti rats |
| Interventions | MDMA Ethanol |
| Dose | 0.33, 1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg MDMA; 1.5 g/kg i.p. ethanol |
| Duration | 1 wk of abstinence from ethanol |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | Rats exposed to MDMA at 1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg showed significantly enhanced ethanol self-administration during reinstatement and increased ethanol-induced dopamine efflux in the nucleus accumbens. MDMA also acutely elevated motor activity dose-dependently. The authors suggest repeated low-dose MDMA can alter subsequent vulnerability to ethanol consumption. |
Abstract
Recreational use of (±)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) is often associated with other drugs, among which ethanol (EtOH) is one of the most common. However, little is known about how neurochemical sensitization produced by MDMA can modulate EtOH abuse. In this study we used EtOH operant self-administration tasks to investigate the effect of several low doses (0.33, 1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg) of MDMA in Dark Agouti rats. Motor activity was recorded after each MDMA administration. Changes in extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens following a single EtOH injection (1.5 g/kg i.p.) were measured using intracerebral microdialysis in vivo after 1 wk of abstinence from EtOH, in order to mimic the dopaminergic response associated with reinstatement into EtOH consumption. Animals exposed to higher doses of MDMA (1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg) showed significantly enhanced EtOH self-administration during reinstatement and an increased EtOH-induced dopamine efflux. MDMA treatment acutely elevated motor activity after each administration in a dose-dependent manner. These findings suggest that repeated administration of MDMA, a relatively common drug of abuse, even at low doses, can alter subsequent vulnerability to EtOH consumption.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
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and 2 more in the library