Is the Ecstasy-induced ipsilateral rotation in 6-hydroxydopamine unilaterally lesioned rats dopamine independent?
H B Lebsanft, A Mayerhofer, K-A Kovar, W J Schmidt
Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) July 1, 2003 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-003-0823-y via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractMDMA and three of its derivatives (MBDB, MDE, and MDA) all caused rats to turn in circles toward the side of a brain lesion that mimics Parkinson's disease. MDA produced the strongest effect. Blocking serotonin reuptake with citalopram reduced the turning caused by MDMA, but blocking serotonin synthesis with PCPA had only a small effect. This suggests that the rotational behavior induced by MDMA is not fully explained by serotonin release or by the drugs' direct dopamine-like activity.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Male Sprague Dawley rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the medial forebrain bundle |
| Interventions | MDMA MBDB MDE MDA Citalopram PCPA |
| Dose | 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg MDMA; 5.0 mg/kg MBDB, MDE, MDA |
| Key finding | MDMA and its derivatives induce ipsilateral rotations in a rat model of Parkinson's disease, with MDA being the most effective, and the effect is not fully explained by serotonin release or dopaminergic activity. |
Abstract
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has recently been hypothesized to be effective against the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Therefore we tested the effects of MDMA-derivatives in the rotational behavioural model. Male Sprague Dawley rats were lesioned unilaterally with 6-hydroxydopamine at the medial forebrain bundle. MDMA was administered at doses of 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg, its derivatives N-Methyl-1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-butananamine (MBDB), 3,4-Methylenedioxy-N-ethylamphetamine (MDE) and 3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) at 5.0 mg/kg respectively. All substances induced ipsilateral rotations, MDA being the most effective. MDMA induced rotations were attenuated by the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor Citalopram but were only slightly reduced by pre-treatment with the selective serotonin synthesis inhibitor PCPA (para-chlorophenylalanine). The effects of MDMA can therefore not fully be explained by serotonin release or by dopaminergic activity of the drugs.