CB1 cannabinoid receptor modulates 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine acute responses and reinforcement.
Clara Touriño, Catherine Ledent, Rafaël Maldonado, Olga Valverde
Biological Psychiatry June 1, 2008 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.09.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preclinical experimental study in knockout mice Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | CB1 cannabinoid receptor 1 knockout mice and wild-type mice |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | CB1 receptor knockout mice showed reduced or abolished locomotor, hyperthermic, and anxiogenic-like responses to acute MDMA, yet retained conditioned place preference and increased nucleus accumbens dopamine. However, knockout mice failed to acquire intravenous MDMA self-administration at any dose tested, suggesting CB1 receptors are essential for this operant behavior. |
Abstract
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a popular recreational drug widely abused by young people. The endocannabinoid system is involved in the addictive processes induced by different drugs of abuse. However, the role of this system in the pharmacological effects of MDMA has not yet been clarified. Locomotion, body temperature, and anxiogenic-like responses were evaluated after acute MDMA administration in CB(1) cannabinoid receptor 1 knockout mice. Additionally, MDMA rewarding properties were investigated in the place conditioning and the intravenous self-administration paradigms. Extracellular levels of dopamine (DA) in the nucleus accumbens were also analyzed after a single administration of MDMA by in vivo microdialysis. Acute MDMA administration increased locomotor activity, body temperature, and anxiogenic-like responses in wild-type mice, but these responses were lower or abolished in knockout animals. 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine produced similar conditioned place preference and increased dopamine extracellular levels in the nucleus accumbens in both genotypes. Nevertheless, CB(1) knockout mice failed to self-administer MDMA at any of the doses used. These results indicate that CB(1) cannabinoid receptors play an important role in the acute prototypical effects of MDMA and are essential in the acquisition of an operant behavior to self-administer this drug.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 15
- The ugly side of amphetamines: short- and long-term toxicity of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘Ecstasy’), methamphetamine and d-amphetamine Biological Chemistry January 2, 2011
- MDMA Self-Administration in Laboratory Animals: A Summary of the Literature and Proposal for Future Research Neuropsychobiology 2009
- THC Prevents MDMA Neurotoxicity in Mice PLoS One February 10, 2010
- Effect of the CB1 cannabinoid agonist WIN 55212-2 on the acquisition and reinstatement of MDMA-induced conditioned place preference in mice Behavioral and Brain Functions March 22, 2010
- The A2a adenosine receptor modulates the reinforcement efficacy and neurotoxicity of MDMA Journal of Psychopharmacology January 24, 2011
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