Neurotoxicity of MDMA and Related Compounds: Anatomic Studiesa
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences October 1, 1990 Mark E. Molliver, Urs V. Berger, Laura A. Mamounas et al. 252 citations
Amphetamine derivatives such as MDA, MDMA, PCA, and fenfluramine cause serotonin (5-HT) release and acute depletion of 5-HT from most axon terminals in the forebrain. Within 36–48 hours, signs of axon degeneration appear, including swollen varicosities and fragmentation. Fine 5-HT axon terminals are persistently lost, while beaded axons and raphe cell bodies are spared, indicating differential vulnerability of two types of 5-HT axons arising from separate raphe nuclei. Over 2–8 months, progressive serotonergic re-innervation of the neocortex occurs along a fronto-occipital gradient, with longitudinal axons growing into layers I and VI before sprouting into middle layers, resembling perinatal development. It is unknown whether a normal innervation pattern is re-established.