Exposure to social stress alters the response to drugs of abuse of experimental animals. Changes in the glutamatergic system seem to play a role in the effects of social defeat stress on the rewarding properties of cocaine and amphetamine. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the involvement of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)...
Biochemical PharmacologyOctober 2018John T Rodgers, Nadezhda Y Davydova, Erickson M Paragas et al.
We investigate the mechanism of time-dependent inhibition (TDI) of human cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) by 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy), one of the most widespread recreational drugs of abuse. In an effort to unravel the kinetic mechanism of the formation of metabolic inhibitory complex (MIC) of CYP2D6 with MDMA-derived carbene we carried out a series of spectrophotometric...
This paper discusses motivations for the use of MDMA among young adults in intimate relationships living in resource poor environments, where structural constraints limit potential for economic mobility and impact upon interpersonal relations. Drawing from in-depth interviews with men and women in intimate relationships with one or more partners, we report the range of motivations for MDMA use...
ABSTRACT The addiction‐related behavioural effects of drugs of abuse are mediated by the mesocorticolimbic monoamine systems. We investigated the effects of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), mephedrone, &bgr;‐phenylethylamine (&bgr;‐PEA) methylphenidate (MPH) on dopamine release from mouse perfused nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex slices. The fractional release of [3H]‐dopamine...
Despite stemming from phylogenetic lineages separated by 500 million years of evolution, octopuses and humans surprisingly have a lot in common. Of all the marine creatures, octopuses are extremely cognitively sophisticated and are capable of basic reasoning and learning. For example, a study in 2003 demonstrated that octopuses could learn how to crew off the
BACKGROUND: An attentional bias towards substance-related stimuli has been demonstrated with alcohol drinkers and many other types of substance user. There is evidence to suggest that the strength of an attentional bias may vary as a result of context (or use intention), especially within Ecstasy/MDMA users. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to empirically investigate attentional biases by observing the...
‘Ecstasy’, long considered a primary experiential marker of shamanism, has been conflated with Mircea Eliade’s description of ‘cataleptic trance’ and the subsequent notion of an ‘altered state of consciousness’. More recent scholarship contests this fixation on the mental state of shamanism, whether in the Arctic or its presumed geographical migration elsewhere. We retrieve the more common...
In this work, we carried out a theoretical investigation regarding amphetamine-type stimulants, which can cause central nervous system degeneration, interacting with human DNA. These include amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (also known as ecstasy), as well as their main metabolites. The studies were performed through molecular docking and molecular dynamics...
Military veterans and public safety officers with chronic post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experienced a reduction in symptoms when the psychedelic drug 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) was given in conjunction with psychotherapy, a randomized trial has found. Doses of 75 mg and 125 mg, each given in two experimental sessions spaced 3 to 5 weeks apart, were more effective than a...
Academic Forensic PathologyAugust 31, 2018Renee L. Eigsti, Dennis J. Firchau, Marcus B. Nashelsky4 citations
Kawasaki disease is an acute vasculitis of unknown etiology that usually occurs in children less than five years old. Coronary artery aneurysm due to arteritis is the most common cardiac complication. Chronic aneurysms are associated with an increased risk of developing luminal thrombosis and ischemic myocardial injury. We present a case of an 18-year-old male with a history of Kawasaki disease...