Brain Research
November 1, 2012
Emmanuelle A. D. Schindler, John A. Harvey, Vincent J. Aloyo
The phenethylamine and indoleamine classes of hallucinogens demonstrate distinct pharmacological properties, although they share a serotonin(2A) (5-HT(2A)) receptor mechanism of action (MOA). The 5-HT(2A) receptor signals through phosphatidylinositol (PI) hydrolysis, which is initiated upon activation of phospholipase C (PLC). The role of PI hydrolysis in the effects of hallucinogens remains...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
October 17, 2012
Daniel I. Brierley, Colin Davidson
42 citations
Harmine is a β-carboline alkaloid and major component of ayahuasca, a traditional South American psychoactive tea with anecdotal efficacy for treatment of cocaine dependence. Harmine is an inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) and interacts in vitro with several pharmacological targets which modulate dopamine (DA) neurotransmission. In vivo studies have demonstrated dopaminergic effects of...
British Journal of Pharmacology
October 8, 2012
Sinead E Shortall, Andrew R. Green, Km Swift et al.
51 citations
Background and Purpose Recreational users report that mephedrone has similar psychoactive effects to 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine ( MDMA ). MDMA induces well‐characterized changes in body temperature due to complex monoaminergic effects on central thermoregulation, peripheral blood flow and thermogenesis, but there are little preclinical data on the acute effects of mephedrone or other...
Medical Hypotheses
October 1, 2012
Maurizio Coppola, Raffaella Mondola
Methoxetamine is a dissociative anaesthetic showing pharmacodynamic similarities with its analogue ketamine, a medication with demonstrated rapid-acting antidepressant effects. Like ketamine and other arylcyclohexylamine compounds, methoxetamine is thought to be both a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist and a dopamine reuptake inhibitor. Furthermore, it acts as an agonist at dopamine D2,...
Pediatrics
August 21, 2012
Lynn T. Singer, David G. Moore, Meeyoung O. Min et al.
49 citations
OBJECTIVE: A widely used illicit recreational drug among young adults, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or ecstasy, is an indirect monoaminergic agonist/reuptake inhibitor affecting the serotonin system. Preclinical studies found prenatal exposure related to long-term learning and memory impairments. There are no studies of sequelae of prenatal MDMA exposure in humans, despite potential...
PLoS One
August 8, 2012
José Carlos Bouso, Débora González, Sabela Fondevila et al.
313 citations
Ayahuasca is an Amazonian psychoactive plant beverage containing the serotonergic 5-HT(2A) agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and monoamine oxidase-inhibiting alkaloids (harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroharmine) that render it orally active. Ayahuasca ingestion is a central feature in several Brazilian syncretic churches that have expanded their activities to urban Brazil, Europe and North...
The Journal of Comparative Neurology
August 1, 2012
Ann M. Hemmerle, Jonathan W. Dickerson, Nicole R Herring et al.
29 citations
(±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a widely used drug of abuse, rapidly reduces serotonin levels in the brain when ingested or administered in sufficient quantities, resulting in deficits in complex route-based learning, spatial learning, and reference memory. Neurotrophins are important for survival and preservation of neurons in the adult brain, including serotonergic neurons. In...
Psychopharmacology
July 28, 2012
J. Moreno, Terrell Holloway, Adrienne Umali et al.
In schizophrenia patients, optimal treatment with antipsychotics requires weeks to months of sustained drug therapy. However, single administration of antipsychotic drugs can reverse schizophrenia-like behavioral alterations in rodent models of psychosis. This raises questions about the physiological relevance of such antipsychotic-like activity. This study evaluates the effects of chronic...
Addiction
July 26, 2012
Daniel Wagner, Benjamin Becker, Philip Koester et al.
54 citations
Abstract Aims It is still unclear if cognitive abnormalities in human 3,4‐methylenedioxymeth‐amphetamine ( MDMA ) users existed before the beginning of use or if other confounders could explain the deficits. The present study was conducted in order to assess the relationship between beginning MDMA use and subsequent cognitive performance and to overcome previous methodological shortcomings....
British Journal of Pharmacology
July 1, 2012
Ar Green, MV King, SE Shortall et al.
3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) induces both acute adverse effects and long‐term neurotoxic loss of brain 5‐HT neurones in laboratory animals. However, when choosing doses, most preclinical studies have paid little attention to the pharmacokinetics of the drug in humans or animals. The recreational use of MDMA and current clinical investigations of the drug for therapeutic purposes...