A review of the mechanisms involved in the acute MDMA (ecstasy)-induced hyperthermic response.
Alfred Richard Green, Esther O'Shea, María Isabel Colado
European Journal of Pharmacology October 1, 2004 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2004.07.006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Humans and rodents (rats) |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | In rats, MDMA-induced hyperthermia is primarily mediated by dopamine release and is influenced by dose, ambient temperature, and housing conditions, and is greater after prior MDMA-induced loss of serotonin nerve endings. The authors suggest that hot, crowded dance club settings would intensify MDMA-induced hyperthermia in humans and increase the likelihood of subsequent cerebral neurotoxic effects. |
Abstract
The predominant severe acute adverse effect following ingestion of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) by recreational users is hyperthermia which can induce other associated clinical problems and occasionally death. There is no pharmacologically specific treatment. MDMA also induces dose-dependent hyperthermia in experimental animals. This review examines the consequences of MDMA administration on body temperature in humans and rodents. In rats hyperthermia results primarily from dopamine release and is influenced by dose, ambient temperature and other housing conditions. The response is increased in rats with a prior MDMA-induced neurotoxic lesion of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) nerve endings. Increased MDMA-induced locomotor activity appears to play no role in the hyperthermic response. However, the size of the acute hyperthermic response plays a major role in determining the severity of the subsequent neurotoxicity. These results suggest that any MDMA-induced hyperthermic response will be enhanced in hot, crowded dance club conditions and that ingesting the drug in such conditions increases the possibility of subsequent cerebral neurotoxic effect.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
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- Pharmacokinetic, Ambulatory, and Hyperthermic Effects of 3,4-Methylenedioxy-N-Methylcathinone (Methylone) in Rats Frontiers in Psychiatry November 17, 2017
- Multiple MDMA (Ecstasy) Overdoses at a Rave Event Journal of Intensive Care Medicine May 28, 2012
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Cites 25
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- 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
- The pharmacology of the acute hyperthermic response that follows administration of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’) to rats British Journal of Pharmacology 2002
- The substituted amphetamines 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, methamphetamine, p-chloroamphetamine and fenfluramine induce 5-hydroxytryptamine release via a common mechanism blocked by fluoxetine and cocaine European Journal of Pharmacology May 1, 1992
- In vivo evidence for free radical involvement in the degeneration of rat brain 5‐HT following administration of MDMA (‘ecstasy’) and p‐chloroamphetamine but not the degeneration following fenfluramine British Journal of Pharmacology July 1, 1997
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