The Taffe Laboratory

Substituted Cathinones

Current projects in the laboratory focus on cognitive, thermoregulatory and reinforcing effects of exposure to mephedrone (4-MMC) and 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV).

Interest in the substituted cathinone [ Search PubMed ] stimulant drugs began in 2009-2010 as the use of 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC; mephedrone) begain to increase in the UK.  Our work was further motivated by the emergence of MDPV as a substantial new or emerging drug of abuse in the US during 2011-2011. As is depicted in the figure to the right, cathinone is amphetamine with a ketone substitution in the beta position. Due to similarity of structure with substituted amphetamines, the questions naturally evolved as to subjective character: Is 4-MMC more like an MDMA-type entactogen or more like classical stimulants such as amphetamine or methamphetamine? Additional reading can be found in the tlneuro blog cathinone archive.

Cathinone Publications

Aarde, S.M., Angrish, D., Barlow, D.J., Wright, Jr., M.J., Vandewater, S.A., Creehan, K.M., Houseknecht, K.L., Dickerson, T.J. and Taffe, M.A. Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone) supports intravenous self-administration in Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats. Addict Biol, 2013, in press. [ PubMed ] [ PublisherLink ]

Miller, M.L., Creehan, K.M., Angrish, D., Barlow, D.J., Houseknecht, K.L., Dickerson, T.J. and Taffe, M.A. Changes in ambient temperature differentially alter the thermoregulatory, cardiac and locomotor stimulant effects of 4-methylmethcathinone (mephedrone), Drug Alcohol Depend, 2013, 127(1-3):248-253 Epub 2012 Jul 23.[ PubMed Abstract ] [ Publisher Link ]

Wright, Jr, M.J., Angrish, D., Aarde, S.M., Barlow, D.J., Buczynski, M.W., Creehan, K.M., Vandewater, S.A., Parsons, L.H., Houseknecht, K.L., Dickerson, T.J. and Taffe, M.A. Effect of ambient temperature on the thermoregulatory and locomotor stimulant effects of 4-methylmethcathinone in Wistar and Sprague-Dawley rats, PLoS ONE, 2012, 7(8):e44652. Epub 2012 Aug 31.[ PubMed ][ PublisherLink ]

Wright, Jr, M.J., Vandewater, S.A., Angrish, D., Dickerson, T.J. and Taffe, M.A. Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone, 4MMC) and d-methamphetamine improve visuo-spatial associative memory, but not spatial working memory, in rhesus macaques, British Journal of Pharmacology, 2012, 167(6):1342-1352. [ PubMed Abstract ][ Publisher Link ]

Huang,P.K., Aarde, S.M., Angrish, D., Houseknecht, K.L., Dickerson, T.J. and Taffe, M.A. Contrasting effects of d-methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone, and 4-methylmethcathinone on wheel activity in rats, Drug Alcohol Depend, 2012, 126(1-2):168-175. [ PubMed Abstract ][ Publisher Link ]

Stimulant research in The Taffe Laboratory is supported by USPHS Grant R01 DA024105 and R01 DA018418.