Treatment with a serotonin-depleting regimen of MDMA prevents conditioned place preference to sex in male rats.

Among young adults, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") is a popular drug of abuse, and anecdotal evidence indicates that repeated use of MDMA may result in impairments in sexual function and decreased sex drive in human users. There has been little investigation of the effects of MDMA on sexual function in rodents. In the present study, the authors determined that in male rats (Rattus novegicus) tested in a sexually naïve or a sexually experienced state, administration of a serotonin (5-HT)-depleting regimen of MDMA did not produce a change in mount, intromission, and ejaculation latency or in mount and intromission frequency compared with such latency and frequency in vehicle-treated control rats. In contrast to vehicle-treated rats, MDMA-treated rats did not form a conditioned place preference (CPP) to sex. Failure of MDMA-treated rats to form CPP to sex may be due to MDMA-induced impairments in circuits mediating sexual reward. Copyright (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved.