Psychedelic drugs have long been known to be capable of inducing mystical or transcendental experiences. However, given the common "recreational" nature of much present-day psychedelic use, with typical doses tending to be lower than those commonly taken in the 1960s, the extent to which illicit use of psychedelics today is associated with mystical experiences is not known. Furthermore the mild...
Psychiatrists and psychotherapists in the US (1970s to 1985) and Switzerland (1988–1993) used MDMA legally as a prescription drug, to enhance the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Early reports suggest that it is useful in treating trauma-related disorders. Recently, the first completed pilot study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD yielded encouraging results. Designed to test the safety...
The synthetic psychostimulant MDMA (±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, ecstasy) acts as an indirect serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine agonist and as a mechanism-based inhibitor of the cytochrome P-450 2D6 (CYP2D6). It has been suggested that women are more sensitive to MDMA effects than men but no clinical experimental studies have satisfactorily evaluated the factors contributing to...
Abstract Evidence is accumulating to suggest that 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine ( MDMA ) has neurotoxic and neuroinflammatory properties. MDMA is composed of two enantiomers with different biological activities. In this study, we evaluated the in vivo effects of S(+)‐ MDMA , R(−)‐ MDMA , and S(+)‐ MDMA in combination with R(−)‐ MDMA on microglial and astroglial activation compared with...
Recent studies have demonstrated a similar acute effect of 3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in blood platelets and brain tissue via action on the serotonin transporter. To investigate the validity of blood serotonin as a peripheral marker for central serotonin in this regard, we administered MDMA (20 mg/kg i.p.) to rats and observed a parallel decrease in serotonin levels in the...
Clinical outcome following 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) intake ranges from mild entactogenic effects to a life-threatening intoxication. Despite ongoing research, the clinically most relevant mechanisms causing acute MDMA-induced adverse effects remain largely unclear. This complicates the triage and treatment of MDMA users needing medical care. The user's genetic profile and...
OBJECTIVE: A widely used illicit recreational drug among young adults, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or ecstasy, is an indirect monoaminergic agonist/reuptake inhibitor affecting the serotonin system. Preclinical studies found prenatal exposure related to long-term learning and memory impairments. There are no studies of sequelae of prenatal MDMA exposure in humans, despite potential...
MDMA consumers are young people of childbearing age. Consequently, developmental exposure to this drug is a potential public health concern. Several studies have addressed MDMA neurotoxicity in adults; however, knowledge of the effects of MDMA on developing embryos is limited. After administration, MDMA is metabolized species specifically via two main pathways. One leads to the formation of MDA...
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) is a drug of abuse that induces learning and memory deficit. However, there are no experimental data that correlate the behavioral evidence with models of synaptic plasticity such as long-term potentiation (LTP) or long-term depression (LTD). Using field potential recordings in rat hippocampal slices of young rats, we found that acute...
(±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a widely used drug of abuse, rapidly reduces serotonin levels in the brain when ingested or administered in sufficient quantities, resulting in deficits in complex route-based learning, spatial learning, and reference memory. Neurotrophins are important for survival and preservation of neurons in the adult brain, including serotonergic neurons. In...