Intravenous administration of ecstasy (3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine) enhances cortical and striatal acetylcholine release in vivo

The effect of intravenous administration of 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamin e (MDMA), in a range of doses (0.33-3.2 mg/kg) that have been shown to main tain self-administration behaviour in rats, on in vivo acetylcholine releas e from rat prefrontal cortex and dorsal striatum was studied by means of mi crodialysis with vertical concentric probes. Intravenous administration of MDMA dose-dependently increased basal acetylcholine release from the prefro ntal cortex to 57 +/- 21%, 98 +/- 20%, 102 +/- 7% and 141 +/- 14% above bas eline, at doses of 0.32, 0.64, 1.0 and 3,2 mg/kg, respectively. MDMA also s timulated striatal acetylcholine release at the dose of 3.2 mg/kg i.v. (the maximal increase being 32 +/- 3% above baseline) while at the dose of 1 mg /kg i.v., MDMA failed to affect basal acetylcholine output. Administration of MDMA also dose-dependently stimulated behaviour. The results of the pres ent study show that MDMA affects measures of central cholinergic neurotrans mission in vivo and suggest that at least some of the psychomotor stimulant actions of MDMA might be positively coupled with an increase in prefrontal cortical and striatal acetylcholine release. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V . All rights reserved.