A study on the mechanism by which MDMA protects against dopaminergic dysfunction after minimal traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in mice.
Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN December 1, 2014 S Edut, V Rubovitch, M Rehavi et al. 18 citations
Driving under the influence of MDMA increases the risk of car accidents and traumatic brain injury (TBI). In mice, a low dose of MDMA given one hour before a mild TBI normalized injury-induced changes in the dopamine system: it restored tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) levels and lowered elevated dopamine D2 receptor levels. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels rose only in mice that received both MDMA and mTBI. Haloperidol reversed the protective behavioral effect of MDMA. The findings suggest that normalizing TH and D2 signaling may alleviate cognitive deficits after TBI, though the protective agent here is an illegal drug.