PMID- 12774185
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20040213
LR  - 20181113
IS  - 0033-3158 (Print)
IS  - 0033-3158 (Linking)
VI  - 169
IP  - 1
DP  - 2003 Aug
TI  - Development, maintenance and temporal pattern of self-administration maintained 
      by ecstasy (MDMA) in rats.
PG  - 21-7
AB  - RATIONALE: +/-3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "ecstasy") use is 
      increasing around the globe but there is a paucity of studies examining the abuse 
      liability of this drug. OBJECTIVES: The ability of drugs to reinforce operant 
      responding in laboratory animals is a valid and reliable predictor of abuse 
      potential. MDMA is self-administered by humans, but there have been few reports 
      of reliable self-administration by drug-naive laboratory animals. The present 
      study sought to examine the acquisition and maintenance of MDMA 
      self-administration by laboratory rats. The influence of prior training with 
      cocaine self-administration on the acquisition of MDMA self-administration was 
      also examined. METHODS: MDMA self-administration (0.25-2.0 mg/kg per infusion) 
      was examined in rats that were first trained to self-administer cocaine as well 
      as by those that were drug-naive. The dose-dependency of MDMA self-administration 
      and the temporal pattern of responding maintained by various doses of MDMA were 
      examined. In some rats, self-administration of MDMA during a 24-h session was 
      also examined. RESULTS: MDMA was self-administered by laboratory rats that were 
      experienced with self-administration of cocaine as well as by rats that were 
      initially drug naive. For drug naive rats, the acquisition of MDMA 
      self-administration (1.0 mg/kg per infusion) developed gradually during daily 
      test sessions. The latency to acquisition of self-administration was shorter in 
      cocaine-trained rats. Self-administration was dose-dependent, extinguished when 
      saline was substituted for MDMA and, was reinstated when MDMA was reintroduced. 
      During a 24-h self-administration session, a high rate of responding was produced 
      during the first hour of the test session followed by a steady and lower rate of 
      two to four responses per hour during subsequent hours of the test. CONCLUSIONS: 
      These results suggest that prior experience with cocaine self-administration 
      facilitates the acquisition of MDMA self-administration. The results also suggest 
      that MDMA has abuse liability and that increased use of the drug should raise 
      concern of a growing and widespread potential for chronic abuse.
FAU - Schenk, Susan
AU  - Schenk S
AD  - School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, 
      New Zealand. susan.schenk@vuw.ac.nz
FAU - Gittings, David
AU  - Gittings D
FAU - Johnstone, Malcolm
AU  - Johnstone M
FAU - Daniela, Evangeline
AU  - Daniela E
LA  - eng
PT  - Comparative Study
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
DEP - 20030528
PL  - Germany
TA  - Psychopharmacology (Berl)
JT  - Psychopharmacology
JID - 7608025
RN  - 0 (Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors)
RN  - 0 (Hallucinogens)
RN  - I5Y540LHVR (Cocaine)
RN  - KE1SEN21RM (N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine)
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Cocaine/administration & dosage
MH  - Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors/administration & dosage
MH  - Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
MH  - Hallucinogens/*administration & dosage
MH  - Male
MH  - N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine/*administration & dosage
MH  - Rats
MH  - Rats, Sprague-Dawley
MH  - Self Administration
EDAT- 2003/05/30 05:00
MHDA- 2004/02/14 05:00
CRDT- 2003/05/30 05:00
PHST- 2002/05/09 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2002/12/05 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2003/05/30 05:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2004/02/14 05:00 [medline]
PHST- 2003/05/30 05:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1007/s00213-003-1407-0 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2003 Aug;169(1):21-7. doi: 10.1007/s00213-003-1407-0. 
      Epub 2003 May 28.