MDMA can be fatal in warm environments

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

NIH preclinical study suggests higher risk of death is associated with warmer brain temperature

A moderate dose of MDMA, commonly known as Ecstasy or Molly, that is typically nonfatal in cool, quiet environments can be lethal in rats exposed to conditions that mimic the hot, crowded, social settings where the drug is often used by people, a study finds. Scientists have identified the therapeutically-relevant cooling mechanism to enable effective interventions when faced with MDMA-induced hyperthermia. The study, publishing tomorrow in the Journal of Neuroscience, was conducted by researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Intramural Research Program (NIDA IRP). NIDA is a part of the National Institutes of Health.