BACKGROUND Understanding the excretion of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and metabolites in sweat is vital for interpretation of sweat tests in drug treatment, criminal justice, and workplace programs. METHODS Placebo, low (1.0 mg/kg), and high (1.6 mg/kg) doses of oral MDMA were given double-blind in random order to healthy volunteers (n = 15) with histories of MDMA use. Participan...

Clomethiazole is an effective neuroprotective agent against the degeneration of 5-HT neurones that follows administration of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or 'ecstasy'). Since there is good evidence that free radical formation resulting from auto-oxidation of MDMA metabolites is responsible for the degeneration we have examined whether clomethiazole is a free radical scavenger. MDMA (...

The question of whether MDMA use is associated with increased crime and violence has not been adequately explored especially in nationally representative samples. This study used data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) to assess the association between MDMA use and violent and non-violent antisocial behavior while controlling for sociodemographic v...

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly referred to as Ecstasy, is a widely abused, psychoactive recreational drug, which induces short- and long-term neuropsychiatric behaviors. This drug is neurotoxic to serotonergic neurons in vivo, and induces programmed cell death in cultured human serotonergic cells and rat neocortical neurons. Over the years it has been shown that MDMA alters ...

introduction: 3-4, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (mdma) causes apoptosis in nervous system and several studies suggest that oxidative stress contributes to mdma-induced neurotoxicity. the aim of this study is to examine the effects of n-acetyl-l-cystein (nac) as an antioxidant on mdma-induced apoptosis. methods: 21 sprague dawley male rats (200-250mg) were treated with mdma (2×0,5mg/kg) or mdma...

mdma generally known as ecstasy, have deleterious effects on the serotonergic neurotransmitter system. recent findings suggest that the liver and brain are major target organs of mdma-related toxicities. although most research is being dynamically performed on brain, however, the molecular mechanisms by which mdma elicits adverse effects in both organs are poorly undrestood.the present study wa...

MDMA-induced 5-HT neurotoxicity has been proposed to involve oxidative stress due to increased formation of hydroxyl radicals. Recently, MDMA-induced 5-HT neurotoxicity has been shown to be accompanied by a suppression of behavioral and neurochemical responses to a subsequent injection of MDMA. The intent of the present study was to examine whether suppression of the MDMA-induced formation of h...

Although 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) has been shown to damage brain serotonin (5-HT) neurons in animals and possibly humans, little is known about the long-term consequences of MDMA-induced 5-HT neurotoxic lesions on functions in which 5-HT is involved, such as cognitive function. Because 5-HT transporters play a key element in the regulation of synaptic 5-HT transmissio...

UNLABELLED This study assessed the effects of the serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) transporter inhibitor duloxetine on the effects of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) in vitro and in 16 healthy subjects. The clinical study used a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, four-session, crossover design. In vitro, duloxetine blocked the release of both 5-HT and NE by...

The recreational drug 3,4-methylenedioxy-metamphetamine (MDMA; 'ecstasy') enhances serotonin and dopamine transmission. Repeated binge treatment with MDMA (5 mg/kg, 3 times daily, 3 h apart, once per week for 4 wk) was found to increase gene expression of S100B, a neurotrophic factor that modulates neuronal plasticity. Mutant mice overexpressing S100B were investigated to better understand how ...