title: Age differences in (±) 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-induced conditioned taste aversions and monoaminergic levels.
abstract: Preclinical work indicates that adolescent rats appear more sensitive to the rewarding effects and less sensitive to the aversive effects of abused drugs. The present investigation utilized the conditioned taste aversion (CTA) design to measure the relative aversive effects of (±)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; 0, 1.0, 1.8, or 3.2 mg/kg) in adolescent and adult Sprague-Dawley rats. After behavioral testing was complete, monoamine and associated metabolite levels in discrete brain regions were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) to determine if adolescent animals displayed a different neurochemical profile than did adult animals after being exposed to subcutaneous low doses of MDMA. Adolescent rats displayed less robust MDMA-induced taste aversions than adults during acquisition and on a final two-bottle aversion test. MDMA at these doses had no consistent effect on monoamine levels in either age group, although levels did vary with age. The relative insensitivity of adolescents to MDMA's aversive effects may engender an increased vulnerability to MDMA abuse in this specific population.
authors.affiliation: Psychopharmacology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20016.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Cobuzzi
authors.forename: Kayla A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Siletti
authors.forename: Zachary E
authors.initials: ZE
authors.lastname: Hurwitz
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wetzell
authors.forename: Michael H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Baumann
authors.forename: Anthony L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Riley
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D015306:Biogenic Monoamines / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D015306:Biogenic Monoamines; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine
keywords: CTA; HPLC; MDMA; adolescent; adult; monoamine; sprague-dawley rats