Abstract

LEON A, LAURA ANDREA  and  CARDENAS, FERNANDO P.. 3, 4-methylenedioximethamphetamin reverses anxiety induced by chronic mild stress. Av. Psicol. Latinoam. [online]. 2013, vol.31, n.1, pp.266-278. ISSN 1794-4724.

Here we report the effects of subchronic 3, 4-methylenedioximethamphetamine (MDMA) on the elevated plusmaze, a widely used animal model of anxiety. Rats exposed to a mild chronic stress (MCS) protocol received intracerebroventricular microinjections of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) - fluoxetine (2.0 ug/ ul) or MDMA, (2.0 ug/ul) for seven days. On the eighth day rats were tested in the elevated plus-maze. Our results showed that sub-chronic MDMA interacted with MCS leading to a decrease in anxiety-related behaviors including: percentage of open arms entries (F_{[2, 26]} = 4.00; p = 0.031), time spent in the open arms (F_{[2, 26]} = 3.656; p = 0.040) and time spent in the open arms extremities (F_{[2, 26]} = 5.842; p = 0.008). These results suggest a potential effect of MDMA in the reversion of the emotional significance of aversive stimuli.

Keywords : MDMA; fluoxetine; elevated plus-maze; anxiety; serotonin; mild chronic stress.

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