Parallel changes in serotonin levels in brain and blood following acute administration of MDMA
Journal of Psychopharmacology October 10, 2012 Cheryl M Collins, Joris Kloek, J.m. Elliott 28 citations
In rats, MDMA (20 mg/kg) caused a parallel drop in serotonin levels in the frontal cortex and blood, with decreases of 63% and 46% respectively at 2 hours, partial recovery by 8 hours (42% and 38% below control), and further recovery by 18 hours (19% and 24% below control). A tryptophan supplement (82.5 mg/kg) raised serotonin in both brain (39%) and blood (26%) in naïve rats, but after MDMA, the same supplement raised brain serotonin only 26% and had no effect on blood serotonin. Blood serotonin appears to be a useful marker for brain serotonin levels after acute MDMA, suggesting platelet serotonin could serve similarly in human studies.