Age-dependent sensitivity of rats to the long-term effects of the serotonergic neurotoxicant (+/-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) correlates with the magnitude of the MDMA-induced thermal response.
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics October 1, 1995 H W Broening, J F Bowyer, W Slikker 151 citations
In rats, the age at which MDMA is given determines both the body-temperature response and the long-term damage to serotonin neurons. In 10-day-old pups, MDMA produced no lasting loss of serotonin or its reuptake sites and no hyperthermia. In 40- and 70-day-old rats, MDMA caused hypothermia in a cold environment (10°C) and hyperthermia in warm environments (25°C or 33°C). When hypothermia occurred, the long-term reductions in serotonin content and reuptake sites were significantly weakened or absent. When hyperthermia occurred, those reductions were significantly worsened. Body temperature changes strongly correlated with the degree of serotonin damage, indicating that hyperthermia plays a key role in MDMA's serotonergic neurotoxicity.