MDMA or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, more commonly called "ecstasy", is a drug classified as a stupefiant and increasingly used by young people for its stimulant and hallucinogen effects. This popular designer drug is often used in techno or rave parties and perceived by users as relatively harmless. It has however been associated with disorders of thermoregulation and has been the cause of several deaths. In addition, the drug has been shown to destroy serotonin receptors in the brain in the monkey and leads to serious physchiatric disorders and liver damage in man.
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Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the effects of commonly consumed recreational drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, and ketamine) on the water flea Daphnia magna, focusing on cognitive, oxidative stress, and cardiovascular responses.
- * Psychostimulant drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine increased movement and responses to light, while ketamine led to increased habituation to light.
- * Chronic exposure to low environmental concentrations of these drugs did not impact behaviors in Daphnia, but methamphetamine and cocaine inhibited reproduction at very low doses.*
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