Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
July 2011
Melanie Mueller, Amy K Goodwin, Nancy A Ator et al.
The baboon is potentially an attractive animal for modeling 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) effects in humans. Baboons self-administer MDMA, are susceptible to MDMA neurotoxicity, and are suitable for positron emission tomography, the method most often used to probe for MDMA neurotoxicity in humans. Because pharmacokinetic equivalence is a key feature of a good predictive animal model,...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
July 1, 2011
Lwendo S. Moonzwe, Jean J. Schensul, Kristin M. Kostick
21 citations
This article examines the role of Ecstasy (MDMA or 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) as a drug used for self-medication and coping with both short- and long-term negative life situations. We show that urban youth who do not have a specific diagnosed mental illness are more likely than those who have been diagnosed and have received treatment to use Ecstasy to cope with both situational stress...
Psychopharmacology
June 30, 2011
M. Kirkpatrick, Erik W. Gunderson, Audrey Y. Perez et al.
119 citations
Despite their chemical similarities, methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) produce differing neurochemical and behavioral responses in animals. In humans, individual studies of methamphetamine and MDMA indicate that the drugs engender overlapping and divergent effects; there are only limited data comparing the two drugs in the same individuals. This study examined the...
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
June 30, 2011
Linda D. Simmler, Cédric M. Hysek, Matthias E. Liechti
91 citations
Abstract Background: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) misuse is associated with hyponatremia particularly in women. Hyponatremia is possibly due to inappropriate secretion of plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP). Objective: To assess whether MDMA increases plasma AVP and copeptin in healthy male and female subjects and whether effects depend on MDMA-induced release of serotonin...
Behavioural Pharmacology
June 29, 2011
María José Varela, José Brea, Marı́a Isabel Loza et al.
18 citations
The behavioral and neurochemical adaptations related to chronic 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) treatment are largely unknown. In this study, we assessed whether repeated administration of MDMA would induce (a) context-dependent locomotor sensitization in mice and (b) changes in serotonin 5-HT(2A) and dopamine D₂ receptor functionality as measured by [³⁵S]GTPγS binding. Mice were...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
June 28, 2011
Matthew R. Skelton, Devon L Graham, Tori L. Schaefer et al.
8 citations
Previous findings showed allocentric and egocentric learning deficits in rats after MDMA treatment from postnatal days (PD) 11-20 but not after treatment from PD 1-10. Shorter treatment periods (PD 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, or 16-20) resulted in allocentric learning deficits averaged across intervals but not for any interval individually and no egocentric learning deficits individually or collectively....
Pharmaceuticals
June 17, 2011
Vivian Capilla‐González, Vicente Hernández‐rabaza
4 citations
The capacity of the brain to generate new adult neurons is a recent discovery that challenges the old theory of an immutable adult brain. A new and fascinating field of research now focuses on this regenerative process. The two brain systems that constantly produce new adult neurons, known as the adult neurogenic systems, are the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus and the lateral...
Pharmaceuticals
June 15, 2011
Elena Escubedo, Sara Garcia-Ratés, Jordi Camarasa et al.
4 citations
Amphetamine derivatives such as methamphetamine (METH) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”) are widely abused drugs in a recreational context. This has led to concern because of the evidence that they are neurotoxic in animal models and cognitive impairments have been described in heavy abusers. The main targets of these drugs are plasmalemmal and vesicular monoamine...
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics
June 15, 2011
Cédric M. Hysek, Linda D. Simmler, M. Ineichen et al.
153 citations
This study assessed the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic effects of the interaction between the selective norepinephrine (NE) transporter inhibitor reboxetine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") in 16 healthy subjects. The study used a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design. Reboxetine reduced the effects of MDMA including elevations in plasma levels of NE,...
Archives of General Psychiatry
June 6, 2011
David Erritzøe, Vibe G. Frøkjær, Klaus K. Holst et al.
86 citations
We found evidence that MDMA but not hallucinogen use is associated with changes in the cerebral presynaptic serotonergic transmitter system. Because hallucinogenic drugs primarily have serotonin(2A) receptor agonistic actions, we conclude that the negative association between MDMA use and cerebral SERT binding is mediated through a direct presynaptic MDMA effect rather than by the serotonin(2A)...
Radiology
June 3, 2011
Hua-Shan Liu, Ming‐Chung Chou, Hsiao‐Wen Chung et al.
20 citations
PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, commonly known as "ecstasy") on the alterations of brain metabolites and anatomic tissue integrity related to the function of the basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuit by using proton magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy and diffusion-tensor MR imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was approved by a local...
Synapse
June 3, 2011
Michael W. McLane, Una D. Mccann, George A. Ricaurte
11 citations
A number of published studies have questioned the serotonin neurotoxic potential of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") and related drugs (fenfluramine, p-chloroamphetamine) based upon results from Western blot studies using a custom synthesized serotonin transporter (SERT) antibody that found no reduction in the abundance of a 50kDa protein after substituted amphetamine...
Addiction
June 3, 2011
A. C. Parrott
12 citations
Halpern et al. 1 presented some interesting findings from a study of abstinent ecstasy users in Salt Lake City, USA. Their ecstasy group reported comparatively slight use of all psychoactive drugs, both legal and illicit, and were therefore different from the typical user who often takes a range of other drugs. Their control group comprised similar-aged occasional rave attendees, who had never...
Psychopharmacology
June 2011
Florentia Hadjiefthyvoulou, John E. Fisk, Catharine Montgomery et al.
Prospective memory (PM) deficits in recreational drug users have been documented in recent years. However, the assessment of PM has largely been restricted to self-reported measures that fail to capture the distinction between event-based and time-based PM. The aim of the present study is to address this limitation. Extending our previous research, we augmented the range laboratory measures of...
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental
June 1, 2011
John E. Fisk, Catharine Montgomery, Florentia Hadjiefthyvoulou
13 citations
OBJECTIVE: Previous research suggests that ecstasy users are impaired in processing visuospatial information. However, for the most part, the deficits observed appear to involve the recall and recognition of complex visual and geometric patterns. The present research sought to determine whether ecstasy use was associated with deficits in serial spatial recall and visuospatial working memory...
Psychopharmacology
June 2011
Andrew C. Parrott, Amy Gibbs, Andrew Scholey et al.
This study investigated the acute mood effects of oral MDMA, methamphetamine, and placebo in a double-blind laboratory study. Fifty-two healthy participants comprised abstinent recreational users of stimulant drugs, 27 female and 25 male, mean age 24.8 years. Three test sessions involved acute 100 mg oral 3.4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 0.42 mg/kg oral methamphetamine, and matching...
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
June 1, 2011
Sybille Schulz
15 citations
Although the prevalence of co-use of cannabis and 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is very common among polydrug users in western societies, few studies have tested the consequences on behavior, cognition or neurobiology. This review examines 23 articles published between 2002 and 2010 with an explicit focus on the combination, or administration, of MDMA and cannabis or cannabinoid...
Emergency Medicine Journal
June 1, 2011
Miguel Galicia, Santiago Nogué, Òscar Miró
To describe the epidemiological profile and clinical manifestations of liquid ecstasy (GHB) poisonings. All cases of GHB poisoning or overdose admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) of the Hospital Clinic (Barcelona) between 2000 and 2007 were recorded. A total of 505 patients (mean age 24.7 years, 68% men) were included. Most patients were brought to the hospital by ambulance (98%), during...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
May 26, 2011
Kim P. C. Kuypers, Marleen Wingen, Armin Heinecke et al.
19 citations
The aim of the present study was to identify the neural substrate underlying memory impairment due to a single dose of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) by means of pharmaco-MRI. Based on previous behavioral results it was hypothesized that this deficit could be attributed to a specific influence of MDMA on encoding. Fourteen Ecstasy users participated in this double-blind,...
British Journal of Pharmacology
May 26, 2011
Ján Kehr, Fumio Ichinose, Shimako Yoshitake et al.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The designer drug 1-(4-methylphenyl)-2-methylaminopropan-1-one (4-methylmethcathinone, mephedrone) is reported to possess psychostimulant, entactogenic and hallucinogenic effects. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of acute administration of mephedrone on extracellular levels of dopamine (DA) and 5-HT in the nucleus accumbens of awake rats and compare...