Adolescent MDMA exposure diminishes the physiological and neurotoxic consequences of an MDMA binge in female rats
Brian J. Piper, Christina S. Henderson, Jerrold S. Meyer
Developmental Psychobiology July 1, 2014 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21169
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractIn female rats, prior intermittent exposure to MDMA (ecstasy) prevented the drop in serotonin transporter binding and the body temperature disruption normally caused by a later high-dose MDMA binge. Unlike males, female rats did not show reduced motor activity after the binge. The findings indicate that while females and males respond differently to an MDMA binge, both sexes exhibit a preconditioning effect from earlier MDMA exposure that protects against some of the binge's harmful effects.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Animal experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Female Sprague-Dawley rats |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Dose | 10 mg/kg × 2 for pretreatment, 5 mg/kg × 4 for binge |
| Duration | From postnatal day 35 to 60 for pretreatment, with binge on postnatal day 67 |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key finding | Prior intermittent MDMA pretreatment blocked the reductions in serotonin transporter binding and temperature dysregulation induced by an MDMA binge in female rats, but unlike males, motor activity was not reduced by the binge. |
Abstract
AbstractIntermittent MDMA pretreatment blocked the reductions in serotonin transporter (SERT) binding induced by an MDMA binge in a prior study in adolescent male rats. The objective of this investigation was to determine if the physiological, behavioral, and neurochemical responses to MDMA are sexually dimorphic. Female Sprague–Dawley rats received MDMA (10 mg/kg × 2) or Saline on every fifth day from postnatal day (PD) 35–60 and an MDMA binge (5 mg/kg × 4) on PD 67. The MDMA binge induced a pronounced temperature dysregulation in MDMA‐naïve, but not MDMA‐pretreated, groups. Similarly, MDMA‐pretreated animals were resistant to the binge‐induced SERT reductions, especially in the hippocampus. Motor activity at PD 68 was not reduced by the binge, unlike the responses found in males. These results show that female rats differ from males in their responses to an MDMA binge but are similar with respect to preconditioning from prior MDMA exposure. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 56: 924–934, 2014.