Comparative Effects of Substituted Amphetamines (PMA, MDMA, and METH) on Monoamines in Rat Caudate
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences June 1, 2002 B. Gough, Syed Z. Imam, Bruce E. Blough et al. 47 citations
Paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA), a drug sold illicitly as 'ecstasy' and linked to fatalities in Australia and the United States, produces neurotoxic effects on dopamine and serotonin systems in rats similar to MDMA and methamphetamine (METH). Extracellular levels of dopamine, its metabolites DOPAC and HVA, serotonin (5-HT), and its metabolite 5-HIAA were measured in the caudate of freely moving rats via microdialysis. METH (2.5 mg/kg) increased dopamine 700% and decreased DOPAC 30% and HVA 50%, with no serotonin changes. MDMA (10 and 20 mg/kg) increased dopamine up to 950% and serotonin up to 575%.