International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience
August 1, 2004
Charles V. Vorhees, Tracy M. Reed, Matthew R. Skelton et al.
76 citations
Rats exposed to MDMA on postnatal days 11–20 showed consistent impairments in spatial learning and memory in the Morris water maze when tested on that maze first, with longer latencies, longer path lengths, and greater cumulative distance from the goal compared to saline controls. On probe trials, MDMA-treated animals that received the water maze first had increased distance from the target site. No MDMA effects were observed on cued trials, straight channel swimming, or working memory, indicating the drug did not impair swimming ability or basic task skills. No MDMA effects were found on the Barnes maze, though interpretation was limited by poor performance on that task.
Developmental Neuroscience
January 1, 2009
Charles V. Vorhees, Tori L. Schaefer, Matthew R. Skelton et al.
40 citations
Treating rat pups with MDMA during different preweaning periods (postnatal days 1–5, 6–10, 11–15, or 16–20) produced lasting effects. The three highest doses (15, 20, and 25 mg/kg) reduced spontaneous locomotor activity during the first 10 minutes of testing, especially when given on days 1–5 or 6–10. All MDMA-treated groups showed impaired allocentric learning in the Morris water maze during both acquisition and reversal phases; the two highest doses also impaired performance on the small platform phase. No effects were found on anxiety, novel object recognition, or egocentric learning, though a nonsignificant trend appeared. The results indicate that allocentric and egocentric learning have different exposure-duration sensitivities and that the stress hyporesponsive period is not critical for MDMA's effects on allocentric learning.
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
January 11, 2013
Tori L. Schaefer, Curtis E. Grace, A Braun et al.
24 citations
In rats, treatment with the recreational drug MDMA during a developmental period equivalent to the human third trimester causes long-term spatial and egocentric learning and memory deficits, along with serotonin reductions. Pretreatment with the antidepressant citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, did not prevent these cognitive deficits. Unexpectedly, citalopram alone produced learning deficits as severe as those caused by MDMA. These are the first findings showing cognitive impairments from developmental exposure to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, suggesting the need for further research on the long-term safety of antidepressants during pregnancy.
Toxicology Reports
October 11, 2016
Michael T. Williams, Matthew R. Skelton, Ian D. Longacre et al.
3 citations
Rats given MDMA during a period of brain development equivalent to late human pregnancy showed lasting changes in brain cell structure. In the nucleus accumbens, dendrites were shorter with fewer spines. In the dentate gyrus, dendritic length decreased but spine density increased. In the entorhinal cortex, both basilar and apical dendritic lengths were reduced. These structural changes occurred in brain regions linked to learning and memory, matching previously observed cognitive deficits in MDMA-exposed animals.