Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Neurochemical and neuroanatomic effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in rats

Journal Article · · Fed. Proc., Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6898821
; ; ; ; ;
Rats injected s.c. twice daily for 4 consecutive days with 10,20, or 40 mg/kg MDMA or saline and sacrificed 2 weeks after the last injection showed dose-dependent reductions in serotonin (5-HT) concentrations in hypothalamus, hippocampus (HIP), striatum (STR), somatosensory cortex (SC) and other cortical areas (CTX). 5-HT depletion was maximal in HIP (11.5 +/- 1.7%) and SC (15.3 +/- 3.2%, p<0.001 in both cases) at the 40 mg/kg MDMA dose. Forty mg/kg MDMA also reduced the amounts of dopamine (DA) in STR (78.2 +/- 6.4%, p<0.001) and of norepinephrine (NE) in HIP (74.5 +/- 6.4%, P<0.025) and CTX (77.9 +/- 6.1%, p<0.05). In addition, 20 mg/kg MDMA markedly reduced the number of (/sup 3/H)5-HT uptake sites (V/sub max/ 35.2% of control) without affecting the affinity (K/sub m/) in HIP. Fink-Heimer staining showed that rats injected s.c. twice daily for 2 days with 80 mg/kg MDMA had greater degeneration of nerve terminals in STR (p<0.005) and pyramidal cells in Layer III of SC (p<0.01) than did control rats. These results clearly suggest that repeated exposure to MDMA selectively damages serotonergic neurons in the central nervous system of rats.
Research Organization:
Univ. of Chicago, IL
OSTI ID:
6898821
Report Number(s):
CONF-8604222-
Journal Information:
Fed. Proc., Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol.; (United States), Journal Name: Fed. Proc., Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol.; (United States) Vol. 45:4; ISSN FEPRA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine destroy serotonin terminals in rat brain: quantification of neurodegeneration by measurement of (/sup 3/H)paroxetine-labeled serotonin uptake sites
Journal Article · Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther.; (United States) · OSTI ID:5630191
Sprague-Dawley rats display sex-linked differences in the pharmacokinetics of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and its metabolite 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA)
Journal Article · Mon Dec 14 23:00:00 EST 2009 · Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology · OSTI ID:21344817
The hyperthermia mediated by 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy) is sensitive to sex differences
Journal Article · Sat Feb 14 23:00:00 EST 2009 · Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology · OSTI ID:21182729

Related Subjects

550201* -- Biochemistry-- Tracer Techniques
550901 -- Pathology-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ADRENAL HORMONES
AFFINITY
AMINES
AMPHETAMINES
ANALEPTICS
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
AROMATICS
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
AZAARENES
AZOLES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BODY
BRAIN
CARDIOTONICS
CARDIOVASCULAR AGENTS
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
DISTRIBUTION
DOPAMINE
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
DRUGS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HORMONES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INDOLES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
MAMMALS
NERVE CELLS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NEUROREGULATORS
NORADRENALINE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
PHENOLS
POLYPHENOLS
PYRROLES
RADIOPROTECTIVE SUBSTANCES
RATS
RODENTS
SEROTONIN
SOMATIC CELLS
STEROID HORMONES
SYMPATHOMIMETICS
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
TRYPTAMINES
VERTEBRATES