Evidence map›Paper›PMID 16541247›Full record

ReviewPsychopharmacology2007

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) neurotoxicity in rats: a reappraisal of past and present findings.

Michael H Baumann, Xiaoying Wang, Richard B Rothman

Open access · hybridAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Psychopharmacology, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 96 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
96citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
17.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

96 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 268 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  10. Dysfunction of the Neurovascular Unit by Psychostimulant Drugs.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023
    Review
  11. Article
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  17. Serotonin release measured in the human brain: a PET study with [Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2020
    Article
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Article

36 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Michael H BaumannClinical Psychopharmacology Section, Intramural Research Program (IRP), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 5500 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. mbaumann@intra.nida.nih.gov
Xiaoying Wang
Richard B Rothman
National Institute on Drug Abuse · USNational Institutes of Health · US

Funding

Studies on MDMA and Related CompoundsZIADA000523 · NIDA · NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE · PI BAUMANN, MICHAEL · 2009 to 2025
$16.4M
MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF COCAINEZ01DA000119 · NIDA · NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE · PI ROTHMAN, RICHARD B · 1992 to 2008
$1.4M
Studies on MDMA and Related CompoundsZ01DA000523 · NIDA · NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE · PI ROTHMAN, RICHARD · 2008 to 2008
$199k
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

rationale3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a widely abused illicit drug. In animals, high-dose administration of MDMA produces deficits in serotonin (5-HT) neurons (e.g., depletion of forebrain 5-HT) that have been interpreted as neurotoxicity. Whether such 5-HT deficits reflect neuronal damage is a matter of ongoing debate.

objectiveThe present paper reviews four specific issues related to the hypothesis of MDMA neurotoxicity in rats: (1) the effects of MDMA on monoamine neurons, (2) the use of "interspecies scaling" to adjust MDMA doses across species, (3) the effects of MDMA on established markers of neuronal damage, and (4) functional impairments associated with MDMA-induced 5-HT depletions.

resultsMDMA is a substrate for monoamine transporters, and stimulated release of 5-HT, NE, and DA mediates effects of the drug. MDMA produces neurochemical, endocrine, and behavioral actions in rats and humans at equivalent doses (e.g., 1-2 mg/kg), suggesting that there is no reason to adjust doses between these species. Typical doses of MDMA causing long-term 5-HT depletions in rats (e.g., 10-20 mg/kg) do not reliably increase markers of neurotoxic damage such as cell death, silver staining, or reactive gliosis. MDMA-induced 5-HT depletions are accompanied by a number of functional consequences including reductions in evoked 5-HT release and changes in hormone secretion. Perhaps more importantly, administration of MDMA to rats induces persistent anxiety-like behaviors in the absence of measurable 5-HT deficits.

conclusionsMDMA-induced 5-HT depletions are not necessarily synonymous with neurotoxic damage. However, doses of MDMA which do not cause long-term 5-HT depletions can have protracted effects on behavior, suggesting even moderate doses of the drug may pose risks.

Indexed as

AnimalsAnxietyBehavior, AnimalBiogenic MonoaminesBrainDopamineDose-Response Relationship, DrugHallucinogensHumansNeuronsNeurotoxicity SyndromesN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamineNorepinephrineRatsRisk AssessmentSerotoninBiogenic MonoaminesDopamineHallucinogensN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamineNorepinephrineSerotonin

Identifiers

PMID16541247
PMCPMC1705495
OpenAlexW2064576666

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.