The Acute Toxic and Neurotoxic Effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine are More Pronounced in Adolescent than Adult Mice.

The Acute Toxic and Neurotoxic Effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine are More Pronounced in Adolescent than Adult Mice. Behav Brain Res. 2019 Dec 03;:112413 Authors: Chitre NM, Bagwell MS, Murnane KS Abstract 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) recently achieved breakthrough status from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, evidence indicates that exposure to toxic doses of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) can lead to long-lasting dysregulation of brain monoaminergic neurotransmitters, primarily from studies conducted in young adult rodents. To date, there is a paucity of data on whether toxic doses of MDMA can differentially affect neurotransmitter systems in adolescents and mature adults, which is an important question as adolescents and adults may be differentially vulnerable to MDMA abuse. In the current study, adolescent (6-7 weeks of age) and adult (16-18 weeks of age) male, Swiss-Webster mice were exposed to MDMA (20 mg/kg) using a binge-like dosing regimen (4 administrations spaced every 2 hours). Acute lethality, acute hyperthermia, and acute decreases in body weight effects following MDMA administration were more pronounced in adolescent than adult mice. Likewise, acute loss of striatal dopamine neurochemistry was also exacerbated in adolescents, as determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to electrochemical detection. Expos...
Source: Behavioural Brain Research - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Behav Brain Res Source Type: research