Synergistic effects of MDMA and ethanol on behavior: Possible effects of ethanol on dopamine D -receptor-related signaling.

Polydrug abuse is common among drug abusers. In particular, psychostimulants are often taken with ethanol, and the combination of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and alcohol is one of the most common forms of polydrug abuse. However, the mechanism by which these drugs influence behavior remains unclear.

Enhancement of the rewarding effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in orexin knockout mice.

Orexinergic neurons, which are closely associated with narcolepsy, regulate arousal and reward circuits through the activation of monoaminergic neurons. Psychostimulants as well as 5-HT-related compounds have potential in the treatment of human narcolepsy. Previous studies have demonstrated that orexin receptor antagonists as well as orexin deficiencies affect the pharmacological effects of psychostimulants.

Narcolepsy-like sleep disturbance in orexin knockout mice are normalized by the 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT.

Rationale: Orexin knockout (KO) mice exhibit a phenotype that is similar to human narcolepsy, and monoamine-related compounds, such as psychostimulants and 5-HT uptake inhibitors, have been used for the treatment of narcoleptic disorders. However, little information is available regarding the pathophysiological features of orexin KO mice, particularly with respect to their narcoleptic-like disorder and how it is affected by monoamine-related compounds.

Objectives: The present study was designed to investigate both the nature of the neuronal changes in orexin KO mice and the therapeutic effects of monoamine-related compounds on the sleep disorder in orexin KO mice.

Involvement of 5-HT2 receptors in the expression of withdrawal diarrhea in morphine-dependent mice.

The withdrawal syndrome after the cessation of μ-opioid receptor agonists remains an obstacle in the clinical treatment of pain. We recently showed that peripheral opioid receptors play a significant role in the withdrawal signs in morphine-dependent mice. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the underlying mechanism of morphine-induced withdrawal symptoms, especially the peripheral oriented body-weight loss that accompanied diarrhea, in mice.

Differential substitution for the discriminative stimulus effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine and methylphenidate in rats.

Previous studies have demonstrated that methylphenidate, MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), and other psychostimulants exert stimulant-like subjective effects in humans. Furthermore, MDMA and methylphenidate substitute for the discriminative stimulus effects of psychostimulants, such as amphetamine and cocaine, in animals, which suggests that MDMA and methylphenidate may produce similar discriminative stimulus effects in rats. However, there is no evidence regarding the similarities between the discriminative stimulus effects of MDMA and methylphenidate.

Involvement of supraspinal and peripheral naloxonazine-insensitive opioid receptor sites in the expression of μ-opioid receptor agonist-induced physical dependence.

Withdrawal syndrome after the cessation of μ-opioid receptor agonists remains an obstacle in the clinical treatment of pain. There is limited information available on the mechanisms that underlie the expression of the withdrawal signs of opioids, and especially regarding the involvement of μ-opioid receptor subtypes and the location of the responsible opioid receptors. Therefore, the present study was designed to determine the mechanism of the expression of withdrawal signs in μ-opioid receptor agonist-dependent mice.