Chemistry & Biodiversity
May 1, 2009
Daniel Trachsel, David E. Nichols, Stephanie Kidd et al.
15 citations
A series of novel ligands for the serotonin 5-HT(2A/C) receptor subtype bearing the 2-phenylethylamine pharmacophore was synthesized and assayed for its 5-HT(2A) receptor binding affinity. As the 4'-aryl-substituted 2-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethylamines were previously unknown, an initial series of twelve compounds was chosen to obtain initial insight into their structure-activity relationships....
The British Journal of Psychiatry
March 31, 2009
Sudhakar Selvaraj, Rosa Hoshi, Zubin Bhagwagar et al.
59 citations
Background Animal experimental studies have prompted concerns that widespread use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ‘ecstasy’) by young people may pose a major public health problem in terms of persistent serotonin neurotoxicity. Aims To determine the status of brain serotonin neurons in a group of abstinent MDMA users. Method We assessed the integrity of brain serotonin neurons by...
Neuropharmacology
March 24, 2009
Activation of adenosine(1) (A(1)) receptors suppresses head shakes induced by a serotonergic hallucinogen in rats.
Neuroreport
March 1, 2009
Hiroki Murakami, Masahiro Matsunaga, Hideki Ohira
Metacognitive strategies of emotion regulation such as an objective perspective of one's self are known as primary factors in mindfulness intervention. Earlier studies, however, suggest that the effect of mindfulness differs because of the individual variability. In this study, we investigated the influence of the serotonin transporter gene polymorphism during the application of a metacognitive...
Journal of Neurochemistry
February 2009
Elena Puerta, Isabel Hervias, Beatriz Goñi-allo et al.
Phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors are often used in combination with club drugs such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy). We investigated the consequences of such combination in the serotonergic system of the rat. Oral administration of sildenafil citrate (1.5 or 8 mg/kg) increased brain cGMP levels and protected in a dose-dependent manner against 5-hydroxytryptamine...
Neuropsychobiology
2009
Clare Dickson, Raimondo Bruno, John Brown
A growing body of evidence suggests that regular 'ecstasy' (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) use causes lasting changes to central serotonergic functioning in humans, including in the occipital lobe. Serotonin may play a role in visual orientation processing, mediated in the occipital lobe, via lateral inhibition. The tilt aftereffect is an illusion apparent following adaptation to stimuli...
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
December 12, 2008
Sarah Durkin, Alison Prendergast, Andrew Harkin
Long-term serotonin (5-HT) neuronal loss is currently a major cause of concern associated with recreational use of the substituted amphetamine 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "Ecstasy"). Such loss may be problematic considering that psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety and responses to first line treatments for these disorders are associated with 5-HT. In this study the...
Brain Research Bulletin
October 22, 2008
Allison A. Feduccia, Christine L. Duvauchelle
MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), also known as ecstasy, is a popular drug often taken in environments rich in audio and visual stimulation, such as clubs and dance parties. The present experiments were conducted to test the notion that auditory stimulation influences the rewarding effects of MDMA. In Experiment 1, a conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure was conducted in which...
European Journal of Pharmacology
October 10, 2008
Didier Cussac, Elisa Boutet-Robinet, Marie-Christine Ailhaud et al.
Several examples of agonist-directed trafficking of receptor signalling at 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors have been reported that involve independent downstream transduction pathways. We now report the functional selectivity of a series of chemically diverse agonists at human (h)5-HT2A, h5-HT2B and h5-HT2C-VSV by examining two related responses, the upstream activation of Gq/11 proteins in...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
October 2, 2008
Sj Kish, Paul S. Fitzmaurice, Lj Chang et al.
31 citations
Evidence that the widely used methamphetamine analog MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, ecstasy) might damage brain serotonin neurones in humans is derived from imaging investigations showing variably decreased binding of radioligands to the serotonin transporter (SERT), a marker of serotonin neurones. However, in humans, it is not known whether low SERT binding reflects actual loss of...