The debate over ecstasy continues: New study finds evidence of memory impairments with 1 year of recreational use

July 25, 2012 in Addiction

There has been significant debate in policy circles about whether governments have over-reacted to ecstasy by issuing warnings against its use and making it illegal. In the UK, David Nutt said ecstasy was less dangerous than horseback riding, which led to him being fired as the government's chief drug advisor. Others have argued that ecstasy is dangerous if you use it a lot, but brief use is safe.

New research published online today by the scientific journal Addiction, gives some of the first information available on the actual risk of using ecstasy. It shows that even in recreational amounts over a relatively short time period, risk specific memory impairments. Further, as the nature of the impairments may not be immediately obvious to the user, it is possible people wouldn't get the signs that they are being damaged by drug use until it is too late.

According to the study, new ecstasy users who took ten or more ecstasy pills over their first year of use showed decreased function of their immediate and short-term memory compared with their pre-ecstasy performance. These findings are associated with damage of the hippocampus, the area of the brain that oversees and navigation. Interestingly, hippocampal damage is one of the first signs of Alzheimer's disease, resulting in and disorientation.

The took an average of 32 pills each over the course of the year, or about two and a half pills per month. Some participants took as few as ten pills over the year and still showed signs of .

Lead author Dr. Daniel Wagner says: "This study was designed to minimize the methodological limitations of earlier research, in which it was not possible to say whether cognitive impairments seen among ecstasy users were in place before drug use began. By measuring the cognitive function of people with no history of ecstasy use and, one year later, identifying those who had used ecstasy at least ten times and remeasuring their performance, we have been able to start isolating the precise cognitive effects of this drug."

More information: Wagner D., Becker B., Koester P., Gouzoulis-Mayfrank E., and Daumann J. A prospective study of learning, memory, and executive function in new MDMA users. Addiction, 107: doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.03977.x

Journal reference: Addiction search and more info website

Provided by Wiley search and more info website

send feedback to editors
3 /5 (2 votes)  

Filter


Move the slider to adjust rank threshold, so that you can hide some of the comments.


Display comments: newest first

SDrapak
Jul 25, 2012

Rank: 3.7 / 5 (3)
What about control subjects who didn't take ecstasy? Aging also reduces memory capacity, can they say that the decline exceeded normal losses if they don't have non-users to contrast the data with?
This seems like a much better though out experiment: http://phys.org/n...ers.html
SteveM
Jul 26, 2012

Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
This looks like another 'scientific' study that relies on self-reported consumption of uncontrolled illicit pills. Is there any evidence that anyone in the study actually took MDMA? Unless the MDMA was administered by the researchers then the findings are not scientific at all.
Rank 3 /5 (2 votes)
Tags

ecstasy users, memory impairments, memory function, study participants, cognitive impairment, memory loss, cognitive functioning, hippocampus, ecstasy, memory
Related Stories
more news
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Beer-industry advertising guidelines: Rating panels may help industry assess itself

In order to avoid exposing vulnerable groups such as children and young adults to alcohol advertising, industry groups have developed their own self-regulation guidelines. However, these guidelines have been criticized for ...

Addiction created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

College women exceed NIAAA drinking guidelines more frequently than college men

In order to avoid harms associated with alcohol consumption, in 2009 the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism issued guidelines that define low-risk drinking. These guidelines differ for men and women: no more ...

Addiction created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Individuals who drink heavily and smoke may show 'early aging' of the brain

Treatment for alcohol use disorders works best if the patient actively understands and incorporates the interventions provided in the clinic. Multiple factors can influence both the type and degree of neurocognitive abnormalities ...

Addiction created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers analyze how Spanish smoking relapse booklets are distributed

Researchers from Moffitt Cancer Center and the University of South Florida have evaluated how Florida health care and social service agencies distribute "Libres para Siempre", a Spanish smoking relapse prevention booklet ...

Addiction created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

No significant change seen in overall smokeless tobacco use among US youths

Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. Declines in smoking among youths were observed from the late 1990s. "However, limited information exists on trends in smokeless ...

Addiction created May 14, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Nobel laureate plays down flu pandemic scaremongering

A Nobel prize-winning scientist Tuesday played down "shock-horror scenarios" that a new virus strain will emerge with the potential to kill millions of people.

No new H7N9 cases in China for a week

No new human cases of the H7N9 virus have been recorded in China for a week, national health authorities said, for the first time since the outbreak began in March.

Genetic predictors of postpartum depression uncovered

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered specific chemical alterations in two genes that, when present during pregnancy, reliably predict whether a woman will develop postpartum depression.

New immune system discovered

(Medical Xpress)—A research team, led by Jeremy Barr, a biology post-doctoral fellow, unveils a new immune system that protects humans and animals from infection.

Child maltreatment increases risk of adult obesity

Children who have suffered maltreatment are 36% more likely to be obese in adulthood compared to non-maltreated children, according to a new study by King's College London. The authors estimate that the prevention or effective ...

The compound in the Mediterranean diet that makes cancer cells 'mortal'

New research suggests that a compound abundant in the Mediterranean diet takes away cancer cells' "superpower" to escape death. By altering a very specific step in gene regulation, this compound essentially re-educates cancer ...