Psychiatry Research
August 30, 2015
Dalena van Heugten-van der Kloet, Timo Giesbrecht, Janelle H. P. van Wel et al.
Some drugs of abuse may produce dissociative symptoms, but this aspect has been understudied. We explored the dissociative potential of three recreational drugs (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), cannabis, and cocaine) during intoxication and compared their effects to literature reports of dissociative states in various samples. Two placebo-controlled studies were conducted. In Study 1...
European Journal of Pharmacology
August 15, 2015
Stuart A. Collins, Gary A. Gudelsky, Bryan K. Yamamoto
MDMA is a widely abused psychostimulant which causes a rapid and robust release of the monoaminergic neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. Recently, it was shown that MDMA increases extracellular glutamate concentrations in the dorsal hippocampus, which is dependent on serotonin release and 5HT2A/2C receptor activation. The increased extracellular glutamate concentration coincides with a...
Journal of neurointerventional surgery
July 2015
Jeremiah Johnson, Shnehal Patel, Efrat Saraf-Lavi et al.
Posterior spinal artery (PSA) aneurysms are a rare cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The commonly abused street drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or 'Ecstasy' has been linked to both systemic and neurological complications. A teenager presented with neck stiffness, headaches and nausea after ingesting 'Ecstasy'. A brain CT was negative for SAH but a CT angiogram suggested...
Psychopharmacology
July 2015
Linnet Ramos, Callum Hicks, Alex Caminer et al.
Oxytocin (OT), vasopressin (AVP) and 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'Ecstasy') all increase social interaction in rats, perhaps by enhancing the rewarding value of social encounters. Here, we used the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm to assess the intrinsic rewarding effects of OT, AVP and MDMA, and whether these effects are enhanced by the presence of a conspecific, or a...
Neurotoxicology
July 2015
Rubén García‐cabrerizo, M Julia García-Fuster
While hippocampus is a brain region particularly susceptible to the effects of MDMA, the cellular and molecular changes induced by MDMA are still to be fully elucidated, being the dosage regimen, the species and the developmental stage under study great variables. This study compared the effects of one and four days of MDMA administration following a binge paradigm (3×5 mg/kg, i.p., every 2 h)...
Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental
July 2015
Aimee L May, Andrew C. Parrott
Previous studies have shown increased sexual risk-taking in experienced MDMA/ecstasy users. The main objectives of this study were to compare levels of sexual risk-taking between a young student sample of predominantly heterosexual MDMA users and alcohol-drinker controls and investigate potential gender differences. Recreational drug use and sexual risk questionnaires were completed by 20 MDMA...
Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental
July 1, 2015
Giulia Francesconi, Laura Orsolini, Duccio Papanti et al.
22 citations
INTRODUCTION: Venlafaxine is one of the most frequently prescribed antidepressants worldwide, despite its toxicity risk in overdose. Furthermore, the molecule has been recently identified at the EU-wide level as one of the novel psychoactive substances. This paper aims at investigating the potential of misuse, taking into account both the existing literature and the analysis of the misusers'...
Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental
July 1, 2015
Lynn T. Singer, Derek G. Moore, Meeyoung O. Min et al.
16 citations
This paper aims to review findings from a longitudinal study of prenatal methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”) on infant development.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
June 23, 2015
Matthew J. Baggott, Jeremy Coyle, Jennifer D. Siegrist et al.
21 citations
preprint
Abstract The drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”, “molly”) is a widely used illicit drug and experimental adjunct to psychotherapy. MDMA has unusual, poorly understood socioemotional effects, including feelings of interpersonal closeness and sociability. To better understand these effects, we conducted a within-subjects double-blind placebo controlled study of the effects of...
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
June 1, 2015
Rachel Patel, Daniel Titheradge
Background: Unipolar depression is the third highest contributor to the global burden of disease, yet current pharmacotherapies typically take about 6 weeks to have an effect. A rapid-onset agent is an attractive prospect, not only to alleviate symptoms before first-line antidepressants display therapeutic action, but as a further treatment option in nonresponsive cases. It has been suggested...