The isomers of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) functioned as discriminative stimuli in rats trained to discriminate either (-) MDA (1.25mg/kg) or (+) MDA (1.25mg/kg) from saline. Dose- and time-response curves indicated that drug lever selection occurred at doses of at least 1.00mg/kg of (-) MDA and 0.75mg/kg of (+) MDA and that drug-appropriate responding for both isomers was maintained...
Abstract ‘Ecstasy’ (3,4‐methylenedioxymethampketamine or MDMA) is a recreational drug that is gaining popularity world wide. There is a paucity of research regarding the ways in which Ecstasy is used and the nature of its effects. A ‘snowball’ peer network technique was used to recruit 100 users who completed anonymous questionnaires. The research revealed that Ecstasy is primarily used by...
The benzofuran analogues of the hallucinogens 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine and 5-methoxy-alpha-methyltryptamine were synthesized and evaluated for affinity at the serotonin 5-HT2 and 5-HT1A receptors in rat brain homogenate, labeled with [125I]-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane ([125I]DOI) and [3H]-8-hydroxy-2-(N,N-di-n-propylamino)tetralin ([3H]-8-OH-DPAT), respectively. At the...
This study examined the behavioral effects in rats of intracerebral administration of S(+)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (S-MDMA) using an automated holeboard and open-field apparatus. Administration of S-MDMA into the nucleus accumbens septi produced locomotor hyperactivity. Although the stimulant effects of S-MDMA administered systemically are antagonized by fluoxetine pretreatment, the...
The effects of sertindole, clozapine, Cis(Z)-flupentixol and haloperidol on the discriminative stimulus properties of d-amphetamine (dopamine DA stimulant), d-LSD (5-HT(2) agonist) and St 587 (alpha(1)-adrenoceptor agonist; 2-chloro-5-trifluoromethyl-phenylimino)-imidazolidine) have been studied. Sertindole, a putative antipsychotic compound with limbic selectivity, antagonized the effects of...
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "ecstasy") is a selective serotonin (5-HT) neurotoxin in animals. There is now preliminary evidence in humans of 5-HT deficits associated with extensive use of MDMA. In order to begin to describe the cognitive and mood effects of chronic MDMA use, nine individuals with extensive MDMA use histories were studied. Despite the absence of memory deficits on...
This study entailed the adoption of a well-established behavioral paradigm, spontaneous alternation, as a possible animal model for some of the symptoms observed in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in humans. Food-deprived rats were run in a T-maze in which both a black and a white goal box were equally baited with a small amount of chocolate milk. Each rat was given 7 trials every other day...
SynapseAugust 1, 1991H C Akunne, A A Reid, A Thurkauf et al.
Previous work demonstrated two high-affinity PCP binding sites in guinea pig brain labeled by [3H]TCP (1-(1-[2-thienyl]cyclohexyl)piperidine): site 1 (N-methyl-D-aspartate [NMDA]-associated) and site 2 (dopamine-reuptake complex associated). The present study examined brain membranes prepared from various species, including human, for the presence of site 2, defined as binding in the presence...
Rats were injected SC with a dose of 10 mg/kg (as base) of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine, alpha-methyldopamine and alpha-methylnorepinephrine, metabolites of MDA, and alpha-methylepinephrine, a putative metabolite of MDMA, twice daily for either 5 or 7 consecutive doses. The rats were killed 24 h after the last...