A PET study of effects of chronic 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”) on serotonin markers in Göttingen minipig brain

The psychostimulant MDMA (ecstasy) causes degeneration of serotonin nerve endings in the forebrain of rodents, nonhuman primates, and human users. To study this in a large animal without using primates, researchers used PET scans to map serotonin transporters and 5HT1A receptors in the brains of Göttingen minipigs before and after MDMA treatment. Total doses above 20 mg/kg reduced serotonin transporter binding: a mean 42 mg/kg dose caused a 32% decrease in the midbrain and thalamus and a 53% decrease in forebrain structures. This loss did not consistently alter 5HT1A receptor binding. The number of serotonin-producing neurons in the dorsal raphé nucleus (about 95,000 in normal animals) remained unchanged.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract The psychostimulant 3,4‐methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”) evokes degeneration of telencephalic serotonin innervations in rodents, nonhuman primates, and human recreational drug users. However, there has been no alternative to nonhuman primates for studies of the cognitive and neurochemical consequences of serotonin depletion in a large‐bodied animal. Therefore, we used positron emission tomography (PET) with [ 11 C]DASB to map the distribution of plasma membrane serotonin transporters in brain of Göttingen minipigs, first in a baseline condition, and again at 2 weeks after treatment with MDMA (i.m.), administered at a range of doses. In parallel PET studies, [ 11 C]WAY‐100635 was used to map the distribution of serotonin 5HT 1A receptors. The acute MDMA treatment in awake pigs evoked 1°C of hyperthermia. MDMA at total doses greater than 20 mg/kg administered over 2–4 days reduced the binding potential (pB) of [ 11 C]DASB for serotonin transporters in porcine brain. A mean total dose of 42 mg/kg MDMA in four animals evoked a mean 32% decrease in [ 11 C]DASB pB in mesencephalon and diencephalon, and a mean 53% decrease in telencephalic structures. However, this depletion of serotonin innervations was not associated with consistent alterations in the binding of [ 11 C]WAY‐100635 to serotonin 5HT 1A receptors. Stereological cell counting of serotonin‐positive neurons, which numbered 95,000 in the dorsal raphé nucleus of normal animals, was unaffected in MDMA‐treated group. group. Synapse 61:478–487, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.