Comparison of conditioned taste aversions produced by MDMA and d-amphetamine

Many drugs of abuse such as d-amphetamine support the development of taste aversion in a conditioned taste aversion paradigm. However, it has yet to be established whether methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), an amphetamine-like stimulant, has this property. A direct comparison was made between MDMA and d-amphetamine over a dose range of 0.125-2.0 mg/kg (SC). Two pairings of either drug with saccharin produced dose-related taste aversions to saccharin that were retained for at least three successive testing trials. The minimally effective dose was 1 mg/kg for MDMA and 0.5 mg/kg for d-amphetamine. The relative potency of MDMA to amphetamine was 4.5, similar to that previously reported for drug discrimination and self-stimulation.