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Ecstasy ([±]3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; MDMA), a common drug of abuse in the U.S. and elsewhere, has been shown to be a serotonin neurotoxin in rodent and nonhuman primate studies. In this 3-part, nonhuman primate study, researchers examined the effects of MDMA at a dosage that mimicked recreational use.
MDMA (3 doses of 2 mg/kg at 3-hour intervals) was injected into 5 squirrel monkeys. One monkey developed an unsteady gait and was not given the third dose; another developed malignant hyperthermia and died soon after the last dose. Two weeks after MDMA exposure, researchers assessed markers of the integrity of brain serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons in the 3 remaining animals and in 3 saline-treated controls. In addition to exhibi…