Neuropsychopharmacology
April 2008
Brian J. Piper, Joseph B. Fraiman, Cullen B Owens et al.
High or repeated doses of the recreational drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, or 'Ecstasy') produce long-lasting deficits in several markers of serotonin (5-HT) system integrity and also alter behavioral function. However, it is not yet clear whether MDMA-induced serotonergic neurotoxicity is responsible for these behavioral changes or whether other mechanisms are involved. The...
Psychopharmacology
April 2008
José Manuel Trigo, Araceli Cabrero-Castel, Fernando Berrendero et al.
Several studies have suggested the existence of cognitive deficits after repeated or high doses of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in humans and experimental animals. However, the extent of the impairments observed in learning or memory tasks remains unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different dosing regimens of MDMA on the ability of mice to learn and...
Drug metabolism letters
April 2008
Sergio Franzese, Anna Capasso
The purpose of the present review is to examine the effect of the acute administration (20 mg/ Kg, i.p.) of the 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in different cerebral areas of rats to better understand the mechanism underlying the toxicity induced by cellular oxidative stress. For this purpose the biochemical parameters of the antioxidant non-enzymatic cellular defense system have been...
Neuroscience
March 27, 2008
Michael H. Baumann, R D Clark, F H Franken et al.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) stimulates the transporter-mediated release of monoamines, including 5-HT. High-dose exposure to MDMA causes persistent 5-HT deficits (e.g. depletion of brain 5-HT) in animals, yet the functional and clinical relevance of such deficits are poorly defined. Here we examine functional consequences of MDMA-induced 5-HT depletions in rats. Male...
Journal of Neuroscience
March 12, 2008
Stéphane Doly, Emmanuel Valjent, Vincent Setola et al.
140 citations
The “club drug” 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; also known as ecstasy) binds preferentially to and reverses the activity of the serotonin transporter, causing release of serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] stores from nerve terminals. Subsequent activation of postsynaptic 5-HT receptors by released 5-HT has been shown to be critical for the unique psychostimulatory effects of MDMA....
Neuroscience
March 3, 2008
A R Alvaro, J Martins, A C Costa et al.
Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; MDMA) has potent CNS stimulant effects. Besides the acute effects of MDMA, such as psychomotor activation, euphoria, decreased appetite, and hyperthermia, long-term damage of dopaminergic and serotonergic nerve terminals in multiple brain areas have also been reported. Although some studies have demonstrated that considerable amounts of MDMA reach the...
Behavioural Pharmacology
March 2008
Matthew R. Skelton, Michael T. Williams, Charles V. Vorhees
+/-3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a chemical derivative of amphetamine that has become a popular drug of abuse and has been shown to deplete serotonin in the brains of users and animals exposed to it. To date, most studies have investigated the effects of MDMA on adult animals. With a majority of users of MDMA being young adults, the chances of the users becoming pregnant and...
Behavioural Pharmacology
March 2008
Matthew L Banks, Paul W Czoty, Jon E. Sprague et al.
In monkeys, elevating ambient temperature has been shown to increase sensitivity to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) reinforcement. Earlier rodent studies have shown that elevations in thyroid levels (hyperthyroidism) parallel changes in elevating the ambient temperature on MDMA-induced thermogenesis, but the interaction has not been examined in monkeys. This study was designed to...
Psychopharmacology
March 2008
Sami Ben Hamida, Erin Plute, Brigitte Cosquer et al.
(+/-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) is often taken recreationally with ethanol (EtOH). In rats, EtOH may potentiate MDMA-induced hyperactivity, but attenuate hyperthermia. Experiment 1 compared the interactions between EtOH (1.5 g/kg) and MDMA (6.6 mg/kg) with EtOH + cocaine (COCA; 10 mg/kg) and EtOH + amphetamine (AMPH; 1 mg/kg) on locomotor activity and thermoregulation....
The FASEB Journal
March 1, 2008
Kevin Sean Murnane, Leonard L. Howell, William E Fantegrossi
3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is an amphetamine derivative with increasingly widespread abuse. MDMA has been difficult to classify as a stimulant or hallucinogen because it shares effects with both drug classes. Furthermore, racemic MDMA is composed of two isomers that vary in terms of behavioral effects rather than simple potency differences. Specifically, the R(−) isomer of MDMA...