MPTP‐induced dopamine neuron degeneration and glia activation is potentiated in MDMA‐pretreated mice
Movement Disorders September 20, 2013 Giulia Costa, Lucia Frau, Jadwiga Wardas et al. 52 citations
Chronic administration of MDMA (ecstasy) during late adolescence in mice worsens the brain damage caused by MPTP, a toxin that induces Parkinson's disease (PD) in humans. Mice treated twice daily with MDMA (10 mg/kg) from 8 to 17 weeks of age, then given MPTP (20 mg/kg four times), showed greater activation of microglia and astroglia in the striatum and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) compared to mice given only MPTP or vehicle. This neuroinflammation was accompanied by a greater loss of dopamine-producing neurons (indicated by reduced tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity) in the SNc and striatum. The findings suggest that MDMA use may increase the risk of dopaminergic neuron degeneration.