Brain tryptophan hydroxylase activity decreases within 15 min after a single administration of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. In the present study, the effect of body temperature on this acute decrease of tryptophan hydroxylase activity was examined. 2 h after a single dose of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (20 mg/kg, s.c.), rats exhibited hyperthermia (38.7 degrees C) or hypothermia...
In two experiments it was found that the hyperthermia which follows MDMA ("Ecstasy") results from an interaction of direct pharmacological effect of the drug and the prevailing environmental conditions in which it is administered. In Experiment 1, rats given fixed doses of either 2.5, 5.0 or 7.5 mg/kg MDMA or saline were injected on different days at ambient temperatures (Ta's) of 11, 24, and...
(+/-)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "Ecstasy"), an increasingly popular recreational drug, is known to damage brain serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) neurons, whilst also having a less pronounced effect on the dopaminergic system. Treatment with MDMA results in an increased locomotor activity, elevated basal serum corticosterone concentrations, decreased exploratory activity, and...
1. The objective of this paper was to provide an understanding of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) use. This investigation provides the subjective effects that were reported by MDMA users. 2. There were a total of (500) humans who participated in this study. 3. Using a survey device, data from users were collected. Symptomatology associated with both the consumption of MDMA and its residual...
The substituted amphetamines 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), p-chloro-amphetamine (PCA) and fenfluramine (FEN) all exert their effects by releasing serotonin (5-HT) from presynaptic nerve terminals. In the current study, we examined the ability of these agents to induce the release of 5-HT in culture fetal raphe neurons. The data indicate that the...
Abstract The subacute and long‐term biochemical effects of methylenedioxymeth‐amphetamine (MDMA) were assessed in homozygous and heterozygous transgenic (Tg) mice that carry the complete sequence of the human copper‐zinc (CuZn) superoxide dismutase (SOD) gene. Non‐transgenic (Non‐Tg) mice showed significant decreased in striatal dopamine (DA) and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) levels both...
The effects of developmental age on (+/-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-induced reductions in 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) content and 5-HT reuptake sites were investigated in conjunction with the effects of developmental age on MDMA-induced thermoregulatory responses. MDMA was administered to rats at postnatal days (PND) 10, 40 and 70 in a range of ambient temperature environments (10...
Effects of chronic treatment with the putative serotonergic neurotoxicant MDMA were assessed in rhesus macaques using behavior in an operant test battery (OTB) designed to model aspects of time estimation, short-term memory, motivation, learning, and color and position discrimination. After an initial acute dose-response assessment, escalating doses of MDMA (0.10-20.0 mg/kg, im, twice daily,...
Abstract The aim of this study was to examine the effect of acute administration of (±)3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (20 mg/kg, i.p.) on colonic temperature, serum corticosterone and brain biogenic amine concentrations in group‐housed male and female rats and to determine if there are any gender differences in susceptibility to MDMA‐induced changes. Prior to treatment, basal colonic...
Amphetamines (AMPs) can cause long-term depletions in striatal dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT), and these decrements are often accepted as prima facie evidence of AMP-induced damage to the dopaminergic and serotonergic projections to striatum. Rarely are indices linked to neural damage used to evaluate the neurotoxicity of the AMPs. Here, we determined the potential neurotoxic effects of two...