SEROTONIN NEUROTOXICITY AFTER (+/-)3,4-METHYLENEDIOXYMETHAMPHETAMINE (MDMA ECSTASY) - A CONTROLLED-STUDY IN HUMANS

被引:264
作者
MCCANN, UD
RIDENOUR, A
SHAHAM, Y
RICAURTE, GA
机构
[1] JOHNS HOPKINS MED INST, FRANCIS SCOTT KEY MED CTR, DEPT NEUROL, BALTIMORE, MD USA
[2] CONCORDIA UNIV, DEPT PSYCHOL, MONTREAL H3G 1M8, PQ, CANADA
关键词
AMPHETAMINE; SEROTONIN; PROLACTIN; NEUROTOXICITY; PERSONALITY; DRUG ABUSE;
D O I
10.1038/npp.1994.15
中图分类号
Q189 [神经科学];
学科分类号
071006 ;
摘要
(+/-)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ''Ecstasy''), an increasingly popular recreational drug, is known to damage brain serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) neurons in experimental animals. Whether MDMA is neurotoxic in humans has not been established. Thirty MDMA users and 28 controls were admitted to a controlled inpatient setting for measurement of biologic and behavioral indexes of central 5-HT function. Outcome measures obtained after at least 2 weeks of drug abstinence included concentrations of monoamine metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), prolactin responses to L-tryptophan, nociceptive responses to ischemic pain, and personality characteristics in which 5-HT has been implicated (i.e., impulsivity and aggression). Subjects with a history of MDMA exposure had lower levels of CSF 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (the major metabolite of 5-HT) than controls (p = .001). Although they resembled controls in their prolactin response to L-tryptophan and their response to ischemic pain, MDMA users had lower scores on personality measures of impulsivity (p = .004) and indirect hostility (p = .009). The CSF findings suggest that 5-HT neurotoxicity may be a potential complication of MDMA use. Further, differences in personality support the view that 5-HT systems are involved in modulating impulsive and aggressive personality traits. Additional studies of MDMA-exposed individuals are needed to confirm and extend the present findings. Such studies could help elucidate the role of 5-HT in normal brain function as well as in neuropsychiatric disease states.
引用
收藏
页码:129 / 138
页数:10
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