Acute and Chronic Effects of 3-4, Methylenedioxymethamphetamine on Pyramidal Cells of Hippocampus

Background: Ecstasy or 3-4, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), as an amphetamine derivate, could lead to learning and memory impairment. Objectives: As the hippocampus is responsible for learning and memory, herein we evaluated acute and chronic effects of MDMA on the structure of the hippocampus. Materials and Methods: Male Wistar rats (200-250 g) received single or multiple injections of MDMA (10 mg/kg, IP). At the end of the study, rats were killed and their brains were removed. Hippocampus sections were prepared to study the structure of hippocampus CA1. Data was analyzed using SPSS 16 software and one-way analysis of variance test. Results: Our findings showed that cell density decreased in MDMA-treated groups in comparison to the intact group. Administration of multiple doses of MDMA significantly decreased the cell number when compared with intact (P < 0.001) and acute (P < 0.01) groups. Conclusions: These data suggest that MDMA treatment caused cell death in CA1, which was more extensive in the chronic treatment group.