Acute MDMA Exposure Causes Reference Memory Impairments in the Radial Arm Maze with Rats

Abstract

disruption to working memory function [1, 2]. This possibility was examined using a version of the 8-arm radial maze task with rats that is designed to separate working memory function from reference memory function [3]. In Experiment 1 the effects of MDMA were compared to the classic amnetic drug scopolamine (which has been shown to produce working memory deficits in the current radial arm maze task [4]). The effects of MDMA were also compared to the dopamine agonist GBR12909 and serotonin agonist citalopram (in Experiment 2) as well as the dopamine D2 agonist Quinpirole and the dopamine D1 agonist A68930 (in Experiment 3) in order to further examine the possible role of dopamine in an MDMA-induced performance deficit.