3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), an illicit recreational drug, damages serotonergic nerve endings. Since the cerebrovasculature is regulated partly by the serotonergic system, MDMA may affect cerebral blood flow (CBF) in humans. We evaluated 21 abstinent recreational MDMA users and 21 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects with brain SPECT and MRI. Ten of the MDMA subjects also had r...

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "Ecstasy") is a psychoactive and hallucinogenic drug of abuse. MDMA has been shown to produce neurotoxicity both in animals and humans. MDMA and other amphetamines induce serotonergic and dopaminergic terminal neurotoxicity and also neurodegeneration in areas including the cortex, hippocampus, striatum and thalamus. Herein, we investigated the mechanis...

Introduction: Exposure to 3, 4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) could lead to serotonergic system toxicity in the brain. This system is responsible for learning and memory functions. Studies show that MDMA causes memory impairment dose-dependently and acutely. The present study was designed to evaluate the chronic and acute effects of MDMD on spatial memory and acquisition of passive avoid...

OBJECTIVE The spice Zingiber officinale or ginger possesses antioxidant activity and neuroprotective effects. The effects of this traditional herbal medicine on 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) induced neurotoxicity have not yet been studied. The present study considers the effects of Zingiber officinale on MDMA-induced spatial memory impairment and apoptosis in the hippocampus of male ...

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "ecstasy") is a popular recreational drug. The aim of the present study was to explore the role of dopamine in the psychotropic effects of MDMA using bupropion to inhibit the dopamine and norepinephrine transporters through which MDMA releases dopamine and norepinephrine by investigating. The pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic interactions between bupro...

The acute and long-term effects of the local perfusion of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and the interaction with the mitochondrial inhibitor malonate (MAL) were examined in the rat striatum. MDMA, MAL or the combination of MAL with MDMA was reverse dialyzed into the striatum for 8 h via a microdialysis probe while extracellular dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) were measured. One we...

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a ring-substituted amphetamine with a potential for abuse. Although originally developed by Merck, MDMA is an illegal drug that is popular recreationally, and is more recently being touted as a therapeutic agent. Unlike some other drugs in the amphetamine class, the mechanism(s) by which MDMA produces its subjective effects are not well understood. MD...

AIMS 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) can affect both neurotransmitter and neurohormonal activity. This review will debate the role of the metabolic activation hormone cortisol for the psychobiological effects of ecstasy/MDMA. METHODS The empirical literature on cortisol release following acute MDMA administration and cortisol functioning in drug-free recreational ecstasy/MDMA users w...

OBJECTIVE "Ecstasy," or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), causes long-term impairment to the serotonin (5-HT) system in rats, dogs, and nonhuman primates. 5-HT dysfunction has also been observed in human recreational users of the drug, but whether 5-HT dysfunction in humans is caused by MDMA has not been established, since dysfunction may have preceded MDMA exposure. This ambiguity abou...