Wheel running increases hyperthermia and mortality rate following 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in rats
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) M. A. Taffe preprint
Sustained physical activity worsens the hyperthermic (overheating) response to MDMA (Ecstasy) and increases the risk of death, according to experiments with rats. Male Wistar rats given MDMA (1.0, 5.6, or 10.0 mg/kg) were monitored with radiotelemetry in low (23-25°C) or high (27°C) ambient temperatures, with or without access to an activity wheel. The highest dose (10 mg/kg) combined with high temperature and wheel access produced the greatest rise in body temperature and more deaths than the no-wheel condition. This provides direct experimental evidence that physical activity is a risk factor for severe reactions to MDMA in humans.