Neurotoxic effects of MDMA (“ecstasy”) administration to neonatal rats
International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience June 5, 2004 Jerrold S. Meyer, Mark Grande, Kenneth M. Johnson et al. 50 citations
MDMA damages fine serotonergic fibers and nerve terminals in adult organisms, while developing animals appear less susceptible, possibly due to a lack of drug-induced hyperthermia. In neonatal rats given MDMA from postnatal days 1–4, hyperthermia was produced in some groups, but all effects were independent of body temperature. The hippocampus showed significant reductions in serotonergic markers at postnatal days 25 and 60, but no effect at 9 months. However, reduced fiber density occurred in two neocortical areas, and hyperinnervation appeared in the caudate-putamen and nucleus accumbens shell. MDMA also caused a two-fold increase in cleaved caspase-3-immunoreactive cells in the rostral forebrain and hippocampus, indicating apoptotic cell death and long-term reorganization of forebrain serotonergic innervation. Offspring of MDMA-using women may face heightened risk for abnormal neural and behavioral development.