TY - JOUR T1 - Effect of 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") on dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell and core. AU - Cadoni,Cristina, AU - Solinas,Marcello, AU - Pisanu,Augusta, AU - Zernig,Gerald, AU - Acquas,Elio, AU - Di Chiara,Gaetano, PY - 2005/04/20/received PY - 2005/06/30/revised PY - 2005/07/08/accepted PY - 2005/8/16/pubmed PY - 2006/1/4/medline PY - 2005/8/16/entrez SP - 143 EP - 8 JF - Brain research JO - Brain Res VL - 1055 IS - 1-2 N2 - It is known that most of drugs abused by humans preferentially stimulate dopamine transmission in the shell subdivision of the nucleus accumbens as compared to the core. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether this applies also to intravenous 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") administered at doses that sustain self-administration behavior in rats. The effect of 0.32, 0.64, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.2 mg/kg i.v. of MDMA on dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell and core was studied in freely moving rats by means of dual probe microdialysis. MDMA dose-dependently stimulated dopamine transmission both in the shell and in the core but the increase in the shell was more pronounced compared to the core at doses of 0.64, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg. The increase of dialysate dopamine obtained after 0.32 mg/kg and after 3.2 mg/kg was not significantly different in the shell compared to the core of nucleus accumbens. This study extends to MDMA the property of other drugs of abuse to increase preferentially nucleus accumbens shell dopamine. SN - 0006-8993 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/16098489/Effect_of_34_methylendioxymethamphetamine__MDMA_"ecstasy"__on_dopamine_transmission_in_the_nucleus_accumbens_shell_and_core_ L2 - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0006-8993(05)01022-X DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -