Effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine on neural activity in the nucleus accumbens of male mice engaged in social behavior.
Neuropsychopharmacology reports March 1, 2025 Naoya Nishitani, Yuki Sasaki, Katsuyuki Kaneda
MDMA, a recreational drug known for prosocial effects, was studied in mice to examine how it affects neural activity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) during social behaviors. Using fiber photometry, researchers measured NAc activity while mice interacted with novel mice. NAc activity transiently increased at the onset of turning toward and sniffing novel mice, though turning was infrequent. MDMA reduced the duration of sniffing per bout but did not alter the transient NAc activity at the onset of these social behaviors, suggesting the drug does not affect this specific neural response.