Discriminative‐stimulus effects of 3,4‐methylenedioxy‐N‐methylamphetamine (MDMA) and a novel MDMA quatenary analog
The FASEB Journal April 1, 2013 Jonathan M. Slezak, Melanie Mueller, George A Ricaurte et al.
MDMA's behavioral effects are primarily due to central nervous system actions, not peripheral ones. In rats trained to distinguish MDMA from saline, the drug produced dose-related increases in drug-appropriate responses. A quaternary analog of MDMA (qMDMA), which cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, did not substitute for MDMA when given peripherally, but partially substituted when infused directly into the brain. This validates qMDMA as a tool for separating central from peripheral effects of MDMA.