Journal of Psychopharmacology
June 27, 2005
Franz X. Vollenweider, Matthias E. Liechti, Martin P. Paulus
24 citations
Decision-making, i.e. selecting an action from a number of alternatives when the outcome is uncertain, is a complex process that is important for everyday life. 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), also known as 'Ecstasy', is a widely used recreational drug that is known to increase serotonin (5-HT) and, to a lesser extent, dopamine (DA) in animals. This study examined whether MDMA alters...
Brain Research
June 1, 2005
Susan Lautar, Camilo Rojas, Barbara S. Slusher et al.
23 citations
Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) is a ubiquitous membrane-bound enzyme that cleaves the two N-terminal amino acids from peptides with a proline or alanine residue in the second position from the amino end. Potential substrates for DPP IV include several neuropeptides, suggesting a role for DPP IV in neurological processes. We have developed a potent DPP IV inhibitor (IC50 = 30 nM),...
International Journal of Psychophysiology
February 1, 2005
Tetsuya Takahashi, Tetsuhito Murata, Toshihiko Hamada et al.
Meditation is the attainment of a restful yet fully alert physical and mental state practiced by many as a self-regulatory approach to emotion management, but the psychophysiological properties and personality traits that characterize this meditative state have not been adequately studied. We quantitatively analyzed changes in psychophysiological parameters during Zen meditation in 20 normal...
Psychopharmacology
January 11, 2005
Michael A. Benneyworth, Randy L Smith, Robert J. Barrett et al.
38 citations
RationaleThe drug discrimination procedure is the most frequently used in vivo model of hallucinogen activity. Historically, most drug discrimination studies have been conducted in the rat. With the development of genetically modified mice, a powerful new tool has become available for investigating the mechanisms of drug-induced behavior. The current paper is part of an ongoing effort to...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
2005
A. C. Parrott
241 citations
This review of chronic tolerance to MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymetamphetamine) covers the empirical data on dosage escalation, reduced subjective efficacy and bingeing in recreational Ecstasy users. Novice users generally take a single Ecstasy tablet, regular users typically take 2-3 tablets, whereas the most experienced users may take 10-25 tablets in a single session. Reduced subjective efficacy...
Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation
2005
Jorma Kärkkäinen, T Forsström, J Tornaeus et al.
50 citations
Bufotenine and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) are hallucinogenic dimethylated indolethylamines (DMIAs) formed from serotonin and tryptamine by the enzyme indolethylamine N-methyltransferase (INMT) ubiquitously present in non-neural tissues. In mammals, endogenous bufotenine and DMT have been identified only in human urine. The DMIAs bind effectively to 5HT receptors and their administration...
Psychopharmacology
December 2004
F Gerard Moeller, Joel L. Steinberg, Donald M Dougherty et al.
Methylene-dioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is known to cause degeneration of serotonin nerve terminals after acute doses in animals. Similarly, behavioral studies in human MDMA users regularly find abnormalities in memory, mood, and impulse control. However, studies of brain function using brain imaging in MDMA users have been less consistent. The purpose of this study was to determine, using...
Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental
October 19, 2004
Iacopo Cancelli, Gabriella Marcon, Matteo Balestrieri
50 citations
Published case reports on complex visual hallucinations (CVH) occurring during antidepressant (AD) treatment were reviewed. Thirteen cases of CVH associated with SSRI treatment, 16 cases during tricyclic drug treatment and seven cases with other AD drug treatments were found. Nine patients were taking concomitant drugs while on therapy with SSRIs and four had a neurological disease in addition...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
October 5, 2004
G K L Butler, A M J Montgomery
The present study investigated characteristics of recreational drug users, especially 'ecstasy' (MDMA) users, in 254 undergraduates. All participants completed a drug history questionnaire (DHQ), the impulsiveness venturesomeness and empathy questionnaire, a novel risk-taking task (Bets16), and 59 also completed the tri-dimensional personality questionnaire (TPQ). DHQ responses allocated...
European Journal of Pharmacology
October 1, 2004
Alfred Richard Green, Esther O'Shea, María Isabel Colado
The predominant severe acute adverse effect following ingestion of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) by recreational users is hyperthermia which can induce other associated clinical problems and occasionally death. There is no pharmacologically specific treatment. MDMA also induces dose-dependent hyperthermia in experimental animals. This review examines the consequences of MDMA...