Authors: Emily Joy Jaehne Abdallah Salem Rodney James Irvine
Publish Date: 2007/05/27
Volume: 194, Issue: 1, Pages: 41-52
Abstract
Cocaine methamphetamine 34methylenedioxymethamphetamine MDMA ecstasy and paramethoxyamphetamine PMA disrupt normal thermoregulation in humans with PMA being associated with more severe cases of hyperthermia Harm minimization advice on how to prevent overheating depends on appropriate thermoregulatory behavior by drug usersSprague–Dawley rats with telemetry implants were administered either saline or 4 12 26 40 or 80 μmol/kg of cocaine methamphetamine MDMA or PMA and confined to an ambient temperature of 30°C for 30 min before being able to choose their preferred temperature on a thermally graded runway 11–41°CThe increased core temperature caused by administration of cocaine methamphetamine and MDMA treatment led to the animals seeking the cool end of the runway to correct their core temperature although this did not occur in PMAtreated rats The order of potency for increasing core temperature was methamphetamine PMA = MDMAcocaine This differed to the slopes of the dose–response curves where MDMA and PMA showed the steepest slope for the doses used followed by methamphetamine then cocaine
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