Effects of MDMA on Extracellular Dopamine and Serotonin Levels in Mice Lacking Dopamine and/or Serotonin Transporters

MDMA increases extracellular dopamine and serotonin in the striatum and prefrontal cortex of mice. In mice lacking both dopamine and serotonin transporters, the dopamine increase in the striatum is absent, while the serotonin increase is greatly reduced. In the prefrontal cortex, MDMA raises dopamine levels regardless of transporter knockout. These findings confirm that MDMA acts on both the dopamine and serotonin transporters to elevate these neurotransmitters.

Study at a glance

Abstract

3,4-Methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has both stimulatory and hallucinogenic properties which make its psychoactive effects unique and different from those of typical psychostimulant and hallucinogenic agents. The present study investigated the effects of MDMA on extracellular dopamine (DA(ex)) and serotonin (5-HT(ex)) levels in the striatum and prefrontal cortex (PFC) using in vivo microdialysis techniques in mice lacking DA transporters (DAT) and/or 5-HT transporters (SERT). subcutaneous injection of MDMA (3, 10 mg/kg) significantly increased striatal DA(ex) in wild-type mice, SERT knockout mice, and DAT knockout mice, but not in DAT/SERT double-knockout mice. The MDMA-induced increase in striatal DA(ex) in SERT knockout mice was significantly less than in wildtype mice. In the PFC, MDMA dose-dependently increased DA(ex) levels in wildtype, DAT knockout, SERT knockout and DAT/SERT double-knockout mice to a similar extent. In contrast, MDMA markedly increased 5-HT(ex) in wildtype and DAT knockout mice and slightly increased 5-HT(ex) in SERT-KO and DAT/SERT double-knockout mice. The results confirm that MDMA acts at both DAT and SERT and increases DA(ex) and 5-HT(ex).