Persistent cerebrovascular effects of MDMA and acute responses to the drug
European Journal of Neuroscience July 1, 2006 Linda Ferrington, Eszter Kirilly, Douglas E. Mcbean et al. 21 citations
A single dose of MDMA causes long-term loss of serotonin nerve terminals and disrupts the normal coupling between brain blood flow and glucose use. Three weeks after MDMA pretreatment in rats, serotonin transporter density fell by about 46% and paroxetine binding by 47%. Brain glucose use decreased widely, but blood flow did not change, indicating lost cerebrovascular constrictor tone. A subsequent MDMA dose increased glucose use but decreased blood flow overall; in half of pretreated rats, random focal hyperemia suggested a failure of autoregulation during MDMA-induced hypertension. The findings suggest that prior MDMA exposure does not protect against acute cerebrovascular dysfunction and may, in some individuals, increase stroke risk.