Repeated MDMA (“Ecstasy”) exposure in adolescent male rats alters temperature regulation, spontaneous motor activity, attention, and serotonin transporter binding
Developmental Psychobiology January 1, 2005 Brian J. Piper, Joseph B. Fraiman, Jerrold S. Meyer 71 citations
Repeated exposure to a moderate dose of MDMA during adolescence in male rats caused acute effects such as hypothermia, serotonin syndrome behavior, and ejaculation, and slowed body weight gain. Later, after the drug was stopped, the animals showed altered habituation to an open field, increased activity in an elevated plus maze, reduced attention in a novel object recognition test, and decreased serotonin transporter binding in the neocortex. These results indicate that even a moderate MDMA regimen during adolescence can produce lasting behavioral and neurochemical changes.