Journal of Psychopharmacology
August 26, 2016
Anya K. Bershad, Melissa A. Miller, Matthew J. Baggott et al.
104 citations
±3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a popular recreational drug that enhances sociability and feelings of closeness with others. These “prosocial” effects appear to motivate the recreational use of MDMA and may also form the basis of its potential as an adjunct to psychotherapy. However, the extent to which MDMA differs from prototypic stimulant drugs, such as dextroamphetamine,...
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior
August 24, 2016
Matthew F. Lazenka, J. Suyama, Clayton T. Bauer et al.
ABSTRACT 3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a substrate for dopamine (DA), norepinephrine and serotonin (5HT) transporters that produces greater pharmacological effects on certain endpoints in females than males in both clinical and rodent preclinical studies. To evaluate potential for sex differences in abuse‐related MDMA effects, the present study compared MDMA effects on...
Psychopharmacology
August 2016
Luisa Ponzoni, Daniela Braida, Mariaelvina Sala
The synthetic phenethylamines are recreational drugs known to produce psychostimulant effects. However, their abuse potential has not been widely studied. Here, we investigated the rewarding and the hallucinatory effects of 2,5-dimetoxy-4-bromo-amphetamine hydrobromide (DOB) and para-methoxyamphetamine (PMA) in comparison with the classical 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). In addition,...
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
July 2016
Vicka Rael Corey, Vincent D Pisano, John H. Halpern
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) administered as an adjunct to talk therapy influences patient speech content and increases improvement in treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Data came from the recordings of Mithoefer et al. (2011). In the third therapeutic session studied, patients were assigned, double blind, to an MDMA or a placebo group. Condition-blind scorers...
Neurotoxicity Research
July 2016
Pier Francesca Porceddu, Ismail Ogunbayode Ishola, Liliana Contu et al.
Metformin, a well-known antidiabetic drug, has recently been proposed to promote neurogenesis and to have a neuroprotective effect on the neurodegenerative processes induced by the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) in models of Parkinson's disease. Interestingly, metformin has antioxidant properties and is involved in regulating the production of...
Cell
July 1, 2016
Boris D. Heifets, Robert C. Malenka
41 citations
MDMA, better known as the recreational drug "ecstasy," is well known for stimulating a feeling of closeness and empathy in its users. We advocate that exploring its mechanism of action could lead to new treatments for psychiatric conditions characterized by impairments in social behavior.
Neuroscience Letters
June 16, 2016
H. Rosas-Hernández, Elvis Cuevas, Susan M. Lantz et al.
Designer drugs such as synthetic psychostimulants are indicative of a worldwide problem of drug abuse and addiction. In addition to methamphetamine (METH), these drugs include 3,4- methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) and commercial preparations of synthetic cathinones including 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), typically referred to as “bath salts.” These psychostimulants exert...
PLoS One
June 15, 2016
Andrea E. Steuer, Corina Schmidhauser, Eva H Tingelhoff et al.
18 citations
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) metabolism is known to be stereoselective, with preference for S-stereoisomers. Its major metabolic step involves CYP2D6-catalyzed demethylenation to 3,4-dihydroxymethamphetamine (DHMA), followed by methylation and conjugation. Alterations in CYP2D6 genotype and/or phenotype have been associated with higher toxicity. Therefore, the impact of...
PLoS One
June 14, 2016
João Martins, Miguel Castelo-Branco, Ana Batista et al.
10 citations
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) is known to produce euphoric states, but may also cause adverse consequences in humans, such as hyperthermia and neurocognitive deficits. Although MDMA consumption has been associated with visual problems, the effects of this recreational drug in retinal physiology have not been addressed hitherto. In this work, we evaluated the effect of a...
PLoS One
June 11, 2016
Sébastien Ballesta, Gilles Reymond, Matthieu Pozzobon et al.
7 citations
3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methyl amphetamine (MDMA) is one of the few known molecules to increase human and rodent prosocial behaviors. However, this effect has never been assessed on the social behavior of non-human primates. In our study, we subcutaneously injected three different doses of MDMA (1.0, 1.5 or 2.0mg/kg) to a group of three, socially housed, young male long-tailed macaques. More than...