Parastou Foroutan1,2, Susanne L. T. Cappendijk3, Samuel C. Grant1,2
1The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL, USA; 2Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA; 3Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
Ecstasy use has increased worldwide in recent years, and previous human studies have shown that users may experience lasting impairment in learning and cognition. In this study, Ecstasy-induced neurodegeneration was examined in the zebra finch, a model for studies of cognitive processes and neuronal plasticity. To assess changes in excised finch brain, high-resolution MRI at 11.75 T combined with histology was performed. Numerous structures in the finch brain could be segmented without exogenous contrast enhancement. Although volumetrics showed no statistical difference in the adult finch in response to acute Ecstasy exposure, demyelination of certain areas may have been identified.