Brain hyperthermia induced by MDMA (‘ecstasy’): modulation by environmental conditions
European Journal of Neuroscience July 1, 2004 Paul Brown, Eugene A. Kiyatkin 105 citations
MDMA (ecstasy) causes a moderate, prolonged increase in brain and muscle temperature in rats under quiet resting conditions. When rats interact socially with a female or have chronically occluded jugular veins, the drug-induced brain hyperthermia is dramatically amplified (89% and 188% greater, respectively). At a warm environmental temperature of 29 °C, MDMA pushes brain temperature above 41 °C, leading to fatalities in 83% of tested animals. The findings suggest that metabolic brain activation combined with impaired heat dissipation makes MDMA use under 'party' conditions far more dangerous than standard laboratory settings.