TY - JOUR
T1 - Altered serotonin innervation patterns in the forebrain of monkeys treated with (±)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine seven years previously
T2 - Factors influencing abnormal recovery
AU - Hatzidimitriou, George
AU - McCann, Una D.
AU - Ricaurte, George A.
PY - 1999/6/15
Y1 - 1999/6/15
N2 - The recreational drug (±)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'Ecstasy') is a potent and selective brain serotonin (5-HT) neurotoxin in animals and, possibly, in humans. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether brain 5-HT deficits persist in squirrel monkeys beyond the 18-month period studied previously and to identify factors that influence recovery of injured 5-HT axons. Seven years after treatment, abnormal brain 5-HT innervation patterns were still evident in MDMA-treated monkeys, although 5-HT deficits in some regions were less severe than those observed at 18 months. No loss of 5-HT nerve cell bodies in the rostral raphe nuclei was found, indicating that abnormal innervation patterns in MDMA-treated monkeys are not the result of loss of a particular 5-HT nerve cell group. Factors that influence recovery of 5-HT axons after MDMA injury are (1) the distance of the affected axon terminal field from the rostral raphe nuclei, (2) the degree of initial 5-HT axonal injury, and possibly (3) the proximity of damaged 5-HT axons to myelinated fiber tracts. Additional studies are needed to better understand these and other factors that influence the response of primate 5-HT neurons to MDMA injury and to determine whether the present findings generalize to humans who use MDMA for recreational purposes.
AB - The recreational drug (±)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'Ecstasy') is a potent and selective brain serotonin (5-HT) neurotoxin in animals and, possibly, in humans. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether brain 5-HT deficits persist in squirrel monkeys beyond the 18-month period studied previously and to identify factors that influence recovery of injured 5-HT axons. Seven years after treatment, abnormal brain 5-HT innervation patterns were still evident in MDMA-treated monkeys, although 5-HT deficits in some regions were less severe than those observed at 18 months. No loss of 5-HT nerve cell bodies in the rostral raphe nuclei was found, indicating that abnormal innervation patterns in MDMA-treated monkeys are not the result of loss of a particular 5-HT nerve cell group. Factors that influence recovery of 5-HT axons after MDMA injury are (1) the distance of the affected axon terminal field from the rostral raphe nuclei, (2) the degree of initial 5-HT axonal injury, and possibly (3) the proximity of damaged 5-HT axons to myelinated fiber tracts. Additional studies are needed to better understand these and other factors that influence the response of primate 5-HT neurons to MDMA injury and to determine whether the present findings generalize to humans who use MDMA for recreational purposes.
KW - 5-HT axon
KW - Amphetamines
KW - Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
KW - Neurotoxicity
KW - Regenerati on
KW - Serotonin
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033564773&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0033564773&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1523/jneurosci.19-12-05096.1999
DO - 10.1523/jneurosci.19-12-05096.1999
M3 - Article
C2 - 10366642
AN - SCOPUS:0033564773
SN - 0270-6474
VL - 19
SP - 5096
EP - 5107
JO - Journal of Neuroscience
JF - Journal of Neuroscience
IS - 12
ER -