The neurotoxic and behavioural effects of MDMA (

摇头丸(摇头丸)最近成为世界上最受欢迎的娱乐毒品之一。MDMA使用的一个主要问题是来自动物研究的越来越多的证据表明，即使是中等剂量也可能对利用5-羟色胺(5-HT)进行神经传递的神经细胞造成不可逆转的损害。目前尚不清楚的是，这种损害是如何表现为情绪、认知和行为改变的。现有证据表明，5-羟色胺在焦虑、抑郁和冲动中起着重要作用，但MDMA的使用是否会增加此类问题的可能性尚不确定。这个项目的一个主要目的是检查暴露在MDMA后的大鼠的行为、认知和情绪的变化。使用各种复杂的任务，我们将确定MDMA对记忆力、注意力、冲动和焦虑的急性和长期影响。另一个令人担忧的问题是，使用摇头丸是否会增加其他滥用药物成瘾效应的脆弱性。我们的目标是检查预先暴露于MDMA的大鼠是否随后对可卡因和阿片类药物的回报效应敏感。服用MDMA的人也可能在服用几天后出现暂时性抑郁。我们将评估MDMA可能的非享乐性或抑郁的影响。最后，关于MDMA对大脑的影响，还有很多需要了解的地方。我们最近的工作表明，许多不同的大脑区域会受到这种药物的影响。我们想要扩展这项工作，以了解这种大脑激活模式是如何因缺乏液体和高温环境而改变的--狂欢派对上所经历的条件。本项目将有助于加深我们对MDMA及其神经毒性作用的了解，并强调目前正在使用或计划使用这种药物的人可能存在的任何潜在的长期健康危险。

MDMA (Ecstasy) has recently become one of the most popular recreational drugs in the world. A major concern with MDMA use is the mounting evidence from animal studies that even moderate doses may cause irreversible damage to nerve cells that utilize serotonin (5-HT) for neurotransmission. What is not known is how this damage might be expressed in terms of altered emotion, cognition and behaviour. Existing evidence suggests an important role for 5-HT in anxiety, depression and impulsiveness, but whether MDMA use will increase the likelihood of such problems is uncertain. A major aim of this project is to examine the behavioural, cognitive and emotional changes in rats following exposure to MDMA. Using a variety of sophisticated tasks, we will determine the acute and the long term effects of MDMA in relation to memory, attention, impulsivity, and anxiety. A further concern is whether MDMA use may increase vulnerability to the addictive effects of other drugs of abuse . We aim to examine whether rats pre-exposed to MDMA are subsequently sensitised to the rewarding effects of cocaine and opioids. MDMA users may also suffer a temporary depression a few days after taking the drug. We will assess the possible anhedonic or depressing effects of MDMA. Finally, there is still a lot to understand about the way MDMA affects the brain. Our recent work shows that many diverse brain regions are affected by this drug. We want to extend this work to see how this pattern of brain activation is altered by fluid deprivation and high ambient temperatures - conditions experienced at rave parties. The present project will help further our understanding of MDMA and its neurotoxic effects and to highlight any potential long-term dangers to health that may exist for people who are currently using or are planning to use this drug.