A study of the neurotoxic effect of MDMA (‘ecstasy’) on 5‐HT neurones in the brains of mothers and neonates following administration of the drug during pregnancy
British Journal of Pharmacology June 1, 1997 M. Isabel Colado, Esther O’shea, R Granados et al. 176 citations
High doses of MDMA (ecstasy) given to pregnant rats on days 14–17 of gestation caused a marked hyperthermic response in the mothers, reduced their body weight, and decreased litter size by about 20%. In the mothers' brains, serotonin (5-HT) and its metabolite 5-HIAA fell by over 65% in the hippocampus and striatum and by 40% in the cortex one week after birth. However, the brains of the newborn pups showed no such decreases. MDMA also increased lipid peroxidation (TBARS) in the cortex of adult rats but not in 7–10 day old neonates.