NCJ Number
219308
Journal
Drug and Alcohol Review Volume: 26 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2007 Pages: 9-15
Date Published
January 2007
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article discusses recent findings concerning the acute and long-term effects of MDMA and methamphetamine (METH) and their combination in laboratory animals and the possible implications of these results for human users.
Abstract
Substantial progress has been made in recent years in employing animal models to characterize both the acute and the lasting effects of MDMA and methamphetamine (METH) on brain and behavior. Important recent findings made with animal models that inform the human situation include: (1) the greater tendency towards compulsive use of METH compared to MDMA, (2) the unique pro-social effects of MDMA and the neuroendocrine basis of this effect, (3) the ability of high ambient temperatures to modulate the rewarding properties of MDMA and METH, (4) the functional and emotional impairments observed in rats previously exposed to MDMA and METH, and (5) the likely synergistic adverse effects of combining MDMA and METH. This review underscores the utility of animal models in elucidating the neural substrates and environmental factors that drive MDMA and METH use and in providing a clear and realistic appraisal of the likely long-term hazards arising from exposure to these drugs. Recent concern has developed over the trend for users to combine the ingestion of MDMA and METH within the same drug-taking episode, either intentionally or inadvertently). As both have been independently linked to long-term adverse neural and behavioral effects, it is conceivable that the combination of the two drugs may be particularly harmful. 1 figure, 70 references