Figure 5

A schematic representation of MDMA’s sites of action in the frontal cortex. This figure summarizes the effects of a single-dose (15 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) administration 3 weeks earlier on the frontal cortex (FC) neurons of Dark Agouti rats. The text boxes mark the selected, grouped processes while red crosses represent the possible sites of action. Almost all of the genes involved in different levels of protein synthesis were downregulated, including nucleocytoplasmic transport, ribosome functioning, protein folding and localization and members in the transport of amino acids and lipids, basic constituents of the cells. These changes strongly suggest a wide-scale impairment of the cellular machinery. However, the formation of new neuronal connections can compensate for these effects (not depicted) on a different scale. See text for further details.