Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; MDMA) has potent CNS stimulant effects. Besides the acute effects of MDMA, such as psychomotor activation, euphoria, decreased appetite, and hyperthermia, long-term damage of dopaminergic and serotonergic nerve terminals in multiple brain areas have also been reported. Although some studies have demonstrated that considerable amounts of MDMA reach the...

amphetamine analogue that produces euphoric and stimulant effects and a feeling of closeness towards others. For more than a decade, MDMA (colloquially known as “Ecstasy” or “E”) has been widely used by young adults as a dance-party drug. The usual recreational oral dose is 1–2 tablets (each containing about 60–120 mg of MDMA) a standard oral dose of 0·75–4·00 mg per kg in 60–80 kg people. MDMA...

The cardiovascular and neuroendocrine effects and pharmacokinetics of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") were assessed in a double-blind, randomized, crossover, and controlled (placebo and amphetamine) clinical trial. Eight men with experience in the recreational use of MDMA participated in four 10-h experimental sessions with a 1-week washout period. Single oral doses of 125 m...

Ecstasy [3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)] was shown to prolong the action of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) while suppressing dyskinesia in a single patient with Parkinson's disease (PD). The clinical basis of this effect of MDMA is unknown but may relate to its actions on either dopaminergic or serotoninergic systems in brain. In normal, drug-naive common marmosets, MDMA admini...

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or Ecstasy) is a widely abused drug. In brains of mice exposed to MDMA, we recently detected altered expression of several cDNAs and genes by using the differential display polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Expression of one such cDNA, which exhibited 98% sequence homology with the synaptic vesicle protein synaptotagmin IV, decreased 2 h after MDMA ...

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; 'Ecstasy') is a psychostimulant drug producing heightened mood and facilitated social communication. In animal studies, MDMA effects are primarily mediated by serotonin (5-HT), but also by dopamine (DA) and possibly noradrenaline (NA). In humans, however, the neurochemical and neurophysiological basis of acute MDMA effects remains unknown. The distributi...

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "Ecstasy") is a widely abused, psychoactive recreational drug. There is growing evidence that the MDMA neurotoxic profile may be highly dependent on both its hepatic metabolism and body temperature. Metabolism of MDMA involves N-demethylation to 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), which is also a drug of abuse. MDMA and MDA are O-demethylenated to N-m...

Since the late 1980s 'Ecstasy' (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA) has become established as a popular recreational drug in western Europe. The UK National Criminal Intelligence Service estimates that 0.5-2 million tablets are consumed weekly in Britain. It has been reported that 4.5% of young adults (15-34 yr) in the UK have used MDMA in the previous 12 months. Clinically important toxic...

Various solvents can be used in the synthesis of the illicit synthetic drug methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, commonly known as Ecstasy). In the crystallization process, traces of those solvents can be trapped inside crystals; during the following tabletting process, the solvent traces remain present in the tablets. The forensic investigation of tablets for solvents may increase knowledge of...

In this study, we measured conditioned place preference (CPP) responses to cocaine following subchronic administration of the recreationally abused drug (+/-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were given either vehicle (1 ml/kg of distilled water, s.c.) or MDMA (20 mg/kg, s.c.) twice a day for 4 consecutive days. Two weeks later, CPP respon...