Long-term behavioral consequences of prenatal MDMA exposure.
Valerie B Thompson, Justin Heiman, James B Chambers, Stephen C Benoit, William R Buesing, Mantana K Norman, Andrew B Norman, Jack W Lipton
Physiology & Behavior March 23, 2009 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.12.013 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled experimental animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Adult rats prenatally exposed to MDMA from embryonic day 14 to 20 |
| Interventions | amphetamine challenge cocaine self-administration |
| Duration | Prenatal exposure from embryonic day 14 to 20; behavioral testing in adulthood |
| Measures | novel open field test, home cage activity, feeding and food reward measures, cocaine self-administration, amphetamine challenge locomotor response, radial arm maze, Morris water maze (including cued paradigm) |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | Adult rats exposed to MDMA prenatally showed increased activity and more time in the center of a novel open field, indicating reduced anxiety and heightened novelty response, but no changes in feeding, food reward, cocaine self-administration, or amphetamine-induced locomotion. Spatial learning was mostly unaffected except for altered cued Morris water maze performance, where exposed rats perseveratively attended to a hanging cue after platform removal, suggesting "hyperattentiveness" to environmental cues. |
Abstract
The current study sought to determine whether prenatal 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine (MDMA) exposure from E14-20 in the rat resulted in behavioral sequelae in adult offspring. Prenatal MDMA exposure results in increased dopaminergic fiber density in the prefrontal cortex, striatum and nucleus accumbens of young rats. Since these areas are critical in response to novelty, reward, attention and locomotor activity, we hypothesized that prenatal MDMA exposure would produce significant changes in the performance of tasks that examine such behaviors in adult rats. Adult rats prenatally exposed to MDMA exhibited greater activity and spent more time in the center during a novel open field test as compared to controls. This increased activity was not reflected in normal home cage activity. Prenatal exposure to MDMA did not affect feeding or food reward. It did not alter cocaine self-administration behaviors, nor did it have an effect on the locomotor response to amphetamine challenge. Finally, while prenatal MDMA did not affect performance in the radial arm maze or the Morris water maze (MWM), these animals demonstrated altered performance in a cued MWM paradigm. Prenatal MDMA exposure resulted in perseverative attendance to a hanging cue when the platform in the MWM was removed as compared to controls. Together, these data demonstrate that prenatal exposure to MDMA results in a behavioral phenotype in adult rats characterized by reduced anxiety, a heightened response to novelty, and "hyperattentiveness" to environmental cues during spatial learning.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 11
- One-Year Outcomes of Prenatal Exposure to MDMA and Other Recreational Drugs Pediatrics August 21, 2012
- Maternal MDMA administration in mice leads to neonatal growth delay The Journal of Toxicological Sciences 2014
- Modulation of Gut Microbiome in Ecstasy/MDMA-Induced Behavioral and Biochemical Impairment in Rats and Potential of Post-Treatment with Anacyclus pyrethrum L. Aqueous Extract to Mitigate Adverse Effects. International Journal of Molecular Sciences May 22, 2023
- Effects of psychedelics on neurogenesis and broader neuroplasticity: a systematic review. Mol Med December 19, 2024
- The Non-Peptide Arginine-Vasopressin v1a Selective Receptor Antagonist, SR49059, Blocks the Rewarding, Prosocial, and Anxiolytic Effects of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine and Its Derivatives in Zebra Fish Frontiers in Psychiatry August 13, 2017
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- Reorganization of ascending 5-HT axon projections in animals previously exposed to the recreational drug (+/-)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") Journal of Neuroscience August 1, 1995
- Brain hyperthermia induced by MDMA (‘ecstasy’): modulation by environmental conditions European Journal of Neuroscience July 1, 2004
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