Neuroanatomic specificity and time course of alterations in rat brain serotonergic pathways induced by MDMA (3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine): Assessment using quantitative autoradiography
Synapse August 1, 1991 George Battaglia, John Sharkey, Michael J. Kuhar et al. 113 citations
MDMA (ecstasy) causes long-lasting damage to serotonin neurons in the brain. Using a rat model, researchers measured serotonin transporter density—a marker of healthy serotonin neurons—after four days of MDMA treatment. Within 24 hours, many brain regions showed marked decreases in serotonin transporters, including the cortex, hippocampus, and caudate nucleus. These reductions persisted for at least two weeks. Some regions, like the dorsal striatum, showed greater damage at two weeks than immediately after treatment, while others, such as the endopiriform nucleus, showed partial recovery. Regions containing serotonin cell bodies (raphe nuclei) and axons of passage were unaffected. Catecholamine neurons were not damaged, indicating MDMA's selectivity for serotonin terminals.