Assessment of the discriminative stimulus effects of the optical isomers of ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; MDMA)
Behavioural Pharmacology April 1, 1995 Lisa E. Baker, Jonathan M. Broadbent, E. K. Michael et al. 52 citations
In rats trained to distinguish either the (+)- or (-)-isomer of MDMA from saline, both isomers of MDMA and MDA fully substituted for the training drugs. Stimulants like amphetamine and cocaine did not substitute. Hallucinogens such as DOM, LSD, and mescaline did not fully substitute for (+)-MDMA; LSD substituted for (-)-MDMA only at a specific dose. The serotonin-releasing agents fenfluramine and p-chloroamphetamine substituted partially or fully for both isomers. Serotonin receptor antagonists pirenpirone and metergoline did not consistently block MDMA's effects. The findings suggest that serotonin release, but not action at 5-HT(2) receptors, is important for the discriminative stimulus effects of MDMA isomers.