Clinical case reports suggest that regular MDMA use can be associated with chronic psychiatric symptoms which persist after the cessation of drug use. Neuropsychological comparisons of regular MDMA users and controls also suggest that MDMA use may lead to memory deficits, with other cognitive processes relatively unaffected. This paper reviews these studies and discusses a number of methodologi...

RATIONALE MDMA alters body temperature in rats with a direction that depends on the ambient temperature (TA). The thermoregulatory effects of MDMA and TA may affect intravenous self-administration (IVSA) of MDMA but limited prior reports conflict. OBJECTIVE To determine how body temperature responses under high and low TA influence MDMA IVSA. METHODS Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to...

The amphetamine derivative 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a drug of abuse and has been shown to be neurotoxic to 5-HT terminals in many species. MDMA-engendered neurotoxicity has been shown to be affected by both ambient temperature and core body temperature. We now report that small (2 degreesC) changes in ambient temperature produce changes in core temperature in MDMA-treated rat...

BACKGROUND Exposure to (+/-)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine ((+/-)MDMA) results in lasting reductions of many markers for serotonin terminals in a range of species. In rodents, the severity of insult depends in large part on the generation of hyperthermia in the subject. (+/-)MDMA can produce either hyperthermia or hypothermia in rodents depending on the ambient temperature and these effects ...

3,4-(±)-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and 3,4-(±)-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), a primary metabolite of MDMA, are phenylethylamine derivatives that cause serotonergic neurotoxicity. Although several phenylethylamine derivatives activate microglia, little is known about the effects of MDMA on glial cells, and evidence of MDMA-induced microglial activation remains ambiguous. We initiall...

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has previously been shown to destroy serotonin terminals in the rat brain. Despite profound and prolonged loss of serotonin innervation, long-term behavioral effects of MDMA have not previously been reported. In this study, we monitored the short- and long-term effects of MDMA administration on the ultrasonic isolation call of the rat pup. At 30 to 60 mi...

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a common recreational drug, is known to cause serotonergic neurotoxicity in the brain. Dextromethorphan (DM) is a widely used antitussive reported to exert anti-inflammatory effect in vivo. In this study, we examined the long-term effect of MDMA on the primate serotonergic system and the protective property of DM against MDMA-induced serotonergic abnorm...

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "Ecstasy") increases body temperature. This process could be associated with increased cutaneous blood flow, as normally occurs with exercise-induced hyperthermia. Alternatively, an MDMA-induced fall in cutaneous blood flow could contribute to the hyperthermia by diminishing normal heat transfer from the body to the environment. We investigated these pos...

The present study was designed to elucidate the role of dopamine (DA) metabolism in the serotonergic neurotoxicity induced by 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). An antisense (AS) oligonucleotide (ODN) sequence targeted at monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) was utilized to attenuate MAO-B activity prior to MDMA administration. Sprague-Dawley rats were surgically implanted with intracerebroventri...

At certain doses, the psychoactive drug (±) 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”) destroys brain serotonin axon terminals. By causing increases in plasma MDMA concentrations that exceed those predicted by the increase in dose, non-linear pharmacokinetics has the potential to narrow the range between safe and neurotoxic doses of MDMA. The present study sought to determine if the p...