Subject: New info on MDMA neurotoxicity
From: [email-masked] (Lamont Granquist)
Date: 1 Apr 1994 21:57:24 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.drugs

this is from my e-mail (fwd w/permission)...

From [email-masked] Fri Apr  1 13:54:00 1994
>Date: Fri, 01 Apr 94 00:21:22 EST
>From: [email-masked]
>To: [email-masked]
>Subject: Re: MDMA References
>
>Lamont,
>
>You already have virtually all the essential information. The Ricaurte
>primate study is unpublished, so its not surprising that you didn't find
>anything written about it.  Here is the section of the IND application Sasha
>referred to:
>
>Ricaurte (personal communication,1992) and associates at Johns Hopkins
>University recently completed the data analysis portion of a  primate study 
>which for the first time has identified a  no-effect level for MDMA
>neurotoxicity.  The study involved six primates, three controls and  three
>experimental animals who received an oral administration of 2.5 mg/kg of MDMA
>once every two weeks for four months (8x).  Eight brain regions were examined
>for 5-HT and 5-HIAA  content. There were no significant differences between
>experimental and control animals in any of the brain regions studied. Since a
>previous study by Ricaurte (1988a) has shown that  a single oral dose of 5.0
>mg/kg causes neurotoxicity  only in the thalamus and hypothalamus,  this
>study demonstrates that the  primate no-effect level lies somewhere between
>2.5  and  5.0 mg /kg.
>
>Here is something else from that application:
>
>H
>uman study of response of MDMA users to DMT 
>
> Strassman (personal communication,1992) recently completed an FDA-approved
>human study  in which the physiological and psychological responses of ele
>ven subjects to various  i.v. doses of DMT were studied.  Physiological
>measures included x-endorphin, ACTH, prolactin, corticol,  growth hormone, 
>baseline and maximum rise temperature and pupil diameter responses. 
>Psychological measures included the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the
>Hallucinogenic Rat
>ing Scale (HRS) developed specifically for this experiment. 
> 
> Subjects were divided in
>to two groups, "MDMA Positive" and "MDMA Negative".  The "MDMA Positive"
>group included six subjects who had taken MDMA five or more times. Not
>including one of those had taken MDMA 75
>-100 times,   the average exposure for the "MDMA Positive" group was about
>10x.  The "MD
>MA Negative" group included  the remaining five subjects had taken MDMA never
>or only once, with an 
>average exposure of less than 1x.
>  
> Analysis of the physiological measurements revealed  no
> significant differences between the groups in  x-endorphin, ACTH, prolactin,
>corticol,  growth hormone,  baseline and maximum rise temperature responses,
>across all four doses of DMT and placebo. The standard analytic tool was
>ANOVA with repeated measures.  The only significant difference between the "
>MDMA Positive" and "MDMA Negative" groups was that the maximum change in
>pupil diameter relative to baseline was less in the positives than the
>negatives, across all doses of drug/placebo.
> Dr. Strassman noted  "If one believes that 5-HT2 receptors in the eye
>mediate the effect of DMT 
>on pupil size, then this is oppostive what one would expect; i.e. if 
>"denervation hypersensitivity"
> occurred, one would expect more robust pupil dilation.  The pupil data was
>the least complete (people were reluctant to open their eyes during the
>period of DMT intoxication), thus ANOVA without repea
>ted measurements was used as a less than ideal tool."
> 
> Analysis of the psychological data showed no significant differences in the
>POMS given both before and after the injections of DMT. Rega
>rding the HRS, no differences were noted in responses for any  of the 6
>factors between  the "MDMA P
>ositive" and "MDMA Negative" groups across all doses of DMT/placebo; neither
>were there any interaction effects.
>
>
>The most important paper you have  missed is by O'Callaghan, in NIDA
>Monograph # 136, Assessing Neurotoxicity of Drugs of Abuse. Its available for
>free from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (301)
>468-2600, or 800 729-6686.  The paper discusses data that suggests that
>lowered serotonin levels do not always  reflect neurotoxicity. 
>
>Also, have you seen Charlie Grob's paper in Journal of Nervous and Mental
>Disease, Vol. 180, No. 6, June, 1992, p. 345-356  ?
>
>I'd be curious to learn of your estimation of the neurotoxic risk of MDMA.
>
>Also,  in case you are interested you are invited to join MAPS. The address
>is 1801 Tippah Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28205, and general memberships are $30
>or more. The latest newsletter is at the printers and will be send out to
>members in the next few weeks. Since earlier today, MAPS can accept credit
>card orders.
>
>Rick Doblin
>
>