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 M...

This study investigated the effects of chlorpheniramine (CPA, 10-25 mg/kg), diphenhydramine (DIPH, 20 mg/kg), tripelennamine (TRIP, 20 mg/kg), and pyrilamine (PYRI, 20 mg/kg) on 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 20 mg/kg x 2)-induced hyperthermia and depletion of indoles in rat brains, on the uptake of serotonin and dopamine into rat synaptosomes, on the binding affinity of CPA for biog...

The main 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-induced adverse effect is disruption of normal thermoregulation leading to life threatening hyperthermia which is exacerbated by high ambient temperature and linked to chronic neurotoxicity [1-3]. Although the focus of the majority of research on MDMA-induced loss of thermoregulation has been on brain serotonergic and dopaminergic systems, resu...

1. The effects of acute administration of 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a synthetic amphetamine derivative (0.5-20 mg/kg, i.p.) on agonistic behavior elicited by isolation in male mice were examined. 2. Individually housed mice were exposed to anosmic "standard opponents" 30 min after MDMA injection, and the encounters were videotaped and evaluated using an ethologically based anal...

Previous research in our laboratory found that repeated exposure of adolescent rats to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) impaired working memory and reduced anxiety. The present experiment extended these findings by investigating the physiological, behavioral, and neurotoxic effects of a modified MDMA treatment regimen. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received 5 mg/kg of MDMA hourly for a perio...