Repeated weekly exposure to MDMA, methamphetamine or their combination: long-term behavioural and neurochemical effects in rats.
Kelly J. Clemens, Jennifer L. Cornish, Glenn E. Hunt, Iain S. Mcgregor
Drug and Alcohol Dependence January 12, 2007 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2006.06.004 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Female rats |
| Interventions | MDMA Methamphetamine MDMA/METH combination |
| Dose | MDMA 8 mg/kg i.p.; METH 8 mg/kg; MDMA/METH combination 4 mg/kg MDMA + 4 mg/kg METH |
| Duration | 16 weekly injections followed by 10 weeks of abstinence; locomotor activity and body temperature measured on weeks 1, 8, and 16; social interaction assessed 7 weeks after treatment concluded |
| Measures | social interaction test, emergence test, object recognition test, forced swim test, locomotor activity, body temperature, neurochemical analysis of noradrenaline and serotonin |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | Chronic intermittent MDMA, methamphetamine, or combined exposure in female rats produced modest noradrenaline and serotonin depletion not seen after a single equivalent dose, and reduced social interaction seven weeks after treatment ended, while emergence, object recognition, and forced swim tests showed no group differences. The authors indicate that lasting adverse behavioural effects, especially social, may persist without significant long-term monoamine depletion. |
Abstract
In recent work we have documented lasting adverse neurochemical and behavioural effects in rats given short-term 'binge' dosing with methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy), methamphetamine (METH) or their combination. Here we investigated whether similar effects persist in rats given 16 weekly injections followed by a 10 week period of abstinence. Female rats received MDMA (8 mg/kg, i.p.), METH (8 mg/kg), or a MDMA/METH combination (4 mg/kg MDMA + 4 mg/kg METH), once a week for 16 weeks, with locomotor activity and body temperature measured on weeks 1, 8 and 16. The MDMA and MDMA/METH groups showed acute drug-induced hyperthermia on week 1 only. MDMA-treated rats demonstrated an acute hyperactivity while METH and MDMA/METH treated rats showed pronounced stereotypy. Seven weeks after drug-treatment concluded, a decrease in social interaction was observed in all chronically drug-treated rats. No group differences were evident on the emergence, object recognition or forced swim tests. Neurochemical analysis revealed modest noradrenaline and serotonin depletion in chronically treated rats that was not evident following a single equivalent administration. These results indicate that although chronic, intermittent exposure to MDMA, METH or their combination, may not lead to significant long-term monoamine depletion, lasting adverse behavioural effects may persist, especially those related to social behaviour.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
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- A developmental comparison of the neurobehavioral effects of ecstasy (MDMA) Neurotoxicology and Teratology October 21, 2006
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- Electroencephalographic and convulsive effects of binge doses of (+)-methamphetamine, 5-methoxydiisopropyltryptamine, and (±)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in rats. The open neuropsychopharmacology journal 2012
- MDMA and memory, addiction, and depression: dose-effect analysis Psychopharmacology March 1, 2022
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Cites 9
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- Use of MDA (The "Love Drug") and Methamphetamine in Toronto by Unsuspecting Users of Ecstasy (MDMA) Journal of Forensic Sciences September 1, 2004
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