Behavioral sensitization to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine is long-lasting and modulated by the context of drug administration
Kevin T. Ball, Jessalyn E. Klein, Jacob A. Plocinski, Rachel Slack
Behavioural Pharmacology October 6, 2011 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0b013e32834d13b4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Animal experiment (randomized controlled trial in rats) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats |
| Intervention | Saline |
| Dose | 5.0 mg/kg twice daily for 5 days; challenge injection 2.5 mg/kg |
| Duration | 5-day repeated dosing; challenge at 15 or 100 days of withdrawal |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Citations | 28 |
| Key findings | MDMA sensitization in rats was evident at 15 days of withdrawal only in rats that received repeated drug in the testing context (paired group). At 100 days, both paired and unpaired rats were sensitized, but paired rats showed increased stereotypy while unpaired rats showed increased locomotion. The authors suggest sensitization involves enduring neural changes shaped by withdrawal time and drug context. |
Abstract
To begin to characterize the temporal profile of behavioral sensitization to the amphetamine derivative 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), rats were treated with either saline or MDMA (5.0 mg/kg) twice daily for 5 days, followed by a challenge injection of MDMA (2.5 mg/kg) either 15 or 100 days later. Because we found previously that contextual drug associations are important for the expression of behavioral sensitization to MDMA following relatively short withdrawal periods, rats received the repeated injections either in their home cages (unpaired group) or in the activity monitors that were used for testing sensitization on challenge day (paired group). Locomotor sensitization was evident at 15 days of withdrawal but only in the paired MDMA-treated group. Interestingly, however, sensitization was apparent at 100 days of withdrawal in both paired and unpaired rats but the form of sensitization differed between groups. Thus, sensitization in paired rats was expressed as an increase in stereotypy, whereas sensitization in unpaired rats was expressed as an increase in locomotion, paralleling locomotion levels in paired animals at 15 days of withdrawal. These results suggest that the neural changes that underlie behavioral sensitization to MDMA are quite enduring but involve an interaction between withdrawal time and the context of drug administration.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Prelimbic medial prefrontal cortex has bidirectional control over the expression of behavioral sensitization to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) depending on the context of drug administration. Neuroscience Letters June 4, 2022
- A Systematic Review of the MDMA Model to Address Social Impairment in Autism. Current Neuropharmacology 2021
- Locomotor effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and its deuterated form in mice: psychostimulant effects, stereotypy, and sensitization Psychopharmacology November 15, 2019
- Sensitization to the prosocial effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Neuropharmacology June 2019
- Contribution of Impulsivity and Serotonin Receptor Neuroadaptations to the Development of an MDMA ('Ecstasy') Substance Use Disorder. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 2017
and 1 more in the library