Biological Psychiatry
June 1, 2008
Clara Touriño, Catherine Ledent, Rafaël Maldonado et al.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a popular recreational drug widely abused by young people. The endocannabinoid system is involved in the addictive processes induced by different drugs of abuse. However, the role of this system in the pharmacological effects of MDMA has not yet been clarified. Locomotion, body temperature, and anxiogenic-like responses were evaluated after acute MDMA...
Current therapeutic research, clinical and experimental
June 2008
Ozlem Guneysel, Ozge Ecmel Onur, Haldun Akoglu et al.
The drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), otherwise known as "ecstasy," is a synthetic amphetamine that produces euphoria, increases sociability and energy, and is often used as a "weekend" recreational drug by young adults. A 23-year-old male (height, 184 cm; weight, 68 kg) presented to the emergency department of Marmara University Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey, with jaundice and nausea...
Neuropharmacology
June 2008
Cynthia Marie‐claire, Stefano Palminteri, Patrizia Romualdi et al.
Neurotensin is one of the genes previously found up-regulated in mice striatum after acute injection of MDMA (9 mg/kg). In order to examine the pharmacological significance of this effect, the involvement of the neurotensinergic system in MDMA-induced behaviors was explored in mice using the neurotensin receptor antagonist SR142948A (1mg/kg). We found that acute administration of the antagonist...
Psychopharmacology
June 2008
Rick Shin, Mei Qin, Zhong-Hua Liu et al.
Behavioral and anatomical data suggest that the ventral striatum, consisting of the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle, is functionally heterogeneous. Cocaine and D: -amphetamine appear to be more rewarding when administered into the medial olfactory tubercle or medial accumbens shell than into their lateral counterparts, including the accumbens core. We sought to determine whether rats...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
June 1, 2008
Jan G. Bruhn, Hesham R. Ei-Seedi, Nikolai Stephanson et al.
11 citations
Human interest in psychoactive phenethylamines is known from the use of mescaline-containing cacti and designer drugs such as Ecstasy. From the alkaloid composition of cacti we hypothesized that substances resembling Ecstasy might occur naturally. In this article we show that lophophine, homopiperonylamine and lobivine are new minor constituents of two cactus species, Lophophora williamsii...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
May 30, 2008
L Clark, Jonathan P. Roiser, Trevor W Robbins et al.
Evidence for serotonin involvement in impulsivity has generated interest in the measurement of impulsivity in regular ecstasy users, who are thought to display serotonergic dysfunction. However, current findings are inconsistent. Here, we used a recently developed Information Sampling Test to measure 'reflection' impulsivity in 46 current ecstasy users, 14 subjects who used ecstasy in the past,...
Brain Research
May 23, 2008
Nadia Benturquia, Cindie Courtin, Florence Noble et al.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a widely used recreational drug with psychoactive properties, induces both serotonin and dopamine release in the brain. In rats and mice MDMA induces behavioural changes and has rewarding effects but little is known about its cellular effects. We have previously shown that the ERK pathway is important for the changes in gene expression observed in mice...
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
May 21, 2008
Erin A Kolbrich, Robert S. Goodwin, David A. Gorelick et al.
127 citations
This study examines the plasma pharmacokinetics of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and metabolites 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymethamphetamine (HMMA), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine (HMA) in young adults for up to 143 hours after drug administration. Seventeen female and male participants (black, white, and Hispanic) received placebo, low (1.0 mg/kg),...
Behavioural Brain Research
May 16, 2008
V Ludwig, Y Mihov, R K W Schwarting
Using the elevated plus-maze (EPM), Wistar rats can be distinguished into high (HA) or low anxiety (LA) subjects. These differences seem to reflect traits, since HA and LA rats vary also in other anxiety-dependent tasks, neurochemical mechanisms, and psychopharmacological reactivity, including lasting consequences after single treatment with 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Here, we...
Behavioural Brain Research
May 16, 2008
Sanna Kurling, Aino Kankaanpää, Timo Seppälä
Misuse of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AASs) is increasing, and appears to have much in common with the use of substances known to induce drug dependence. Moreover, persons who abuse AASs also tend to abuse other psychotropic drugs such as amphetamine or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy"). The aim of this study was to investigate whether nandrolone (5 x 5 or 5 x 20 mg/kg)...