European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
October 1, 2017
Michael D. Wunderli, Matthias Vonmoos, Marina Fürst et al.
37 citations
Chronic MDMA use is linked to memory and thinking problems, but past research often failed to separate effects of MDMA from those of other drugs like stimulants. In this study, 26 MDMA users who avoided stimulants, 25 MDMA users who also used stimulants, and 56 non-users completed cognitive tests. Hair analysis confirmed drug use patterns. MDMA-only users showed strong, specific impairments in declarative memory (effect size d=0.90), while stimulant-using MDMA users had broader, larger deficits across memory, working memory, executive functions, and attention (d=0.70 to 1.21). The findings suggest that pure MDMA use mainly harms declarative memory, whereas additional cognitive deficits stem from stimulant co-use.
NeuroImage: Clinical
September 19, 2022
Josua Zimmermann, Nicole Friedli, Francesco Bavato et al.
14 citations
Chronic MDMA users show increased fractional anisotropy in white matter tracts, particularly the corpus callosum and corticospinal tracts, with some links to usage intensity. However, blood neurofilament light chain levels did not differ from controls. The absence of reduced fractional anisotropy and elevated NfL—typically seen in conditions with white matter lesions, such as stimulant and ketamine use disorders—suggests MDMA use is not associated with significant white matter damage. Thus, axonal degradation observed in animal models was not replicated in this human sample of 39 chronic users and 39 matched controls.
European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
June 1, 2024
Amelie Zacher, Josua Zimmermann, David M. Cole et al.
10 citations
Chronic methamphetamine users show diminished cognitive and emotional empathy toward positive stimuli, elevated punitive social behavior regardless of provocation, and heightened self-reported trait anger compared to non-users. Chronic MDMA users differ from controls only by displaying increased punitive behavior when provoked. Higher hair concentrations of both drugs may be linked to reduced cognitive empathy, and greater lifetime MDMA use correlates with more punitive behavior among MDMA users. The dopaminergic mechanism of methamphetamine may underlie social-cognitive deficits.
Psychological Medicine
August 26, 2025
Lydia Johnson-Ferguson, Michelle Loher, Laura Bechtiger et al.
2 citations
Frequent cannabis use in young adulthood predicts increases in psychotic-like experiences, internalizing symptoms, aggression, problematic substance use, and higher odds of not being in employment, education, or training, along with decreased general well-being from ages 20 to 24. These associations held whether cannabis exposure was measured by self-reported frequency or by hair THC concentrations, and effect sizes were small. Composite measures combining self-reports and hair data were no more informative than either source alone. The findings come from a community sample of 863 young adults, with 150 reporting weekly-to-daily use and 110 having detectable cannabis in hair at age 20.
NeuroImage. Clinical
January 1, 2024
Antje Opitz, Josua Zimmermann, David M. Cole et al.
2 citations
Chronic users of methamphetamine and MDMA show similar deficits in conflict control and emotional processing, rather than substance-specific differences. In an emotional face-word Stroop task with anger and happy faces, both user groups exhibited smaller behavioral effects of cognitive-emotional conflict and selective impairments in processing anger, compared to amphetamine-naïve controls. These deficits were accompanied by stronger P3 event-related potential modulations, indicating altered stimulus-response mapping and decision-making. The findings suggest that chronic use of substituted amphetamines may affect noradrenergic systems, which could underlie the observed similarities. Understanding noradrenaline's role in these processes is an important direction for future research.
Brain
October 19, 2025
Rebecca C Coray, Vincent Beliveau, Josua Zimmermann et al.
1 citation
Regular recreational use of MDMA (Ecstasy) is linked to verbal memory problems, and this study examined the brain changes underlying these deficits. Comparing 61 MDMA users with 61 matched non-users, the researchers found reduced grey matter volume in hippocampal regions and impaired verbal learning, short-term recall after interference, long-term recall, and recognition in users. Self-reported MDMA use over the past six months correlated with several memory scores. Hippocampal volume, especially in the CA1 subregion, was inversely related to verbal long-term memory and to MDMA use intensity measured by hair concentrations. Differences in grey matter between groups correlated with brain serotonin receptor densities, suggesting a serotonergic basis for the structural and memory changes.
Translational Psychiatry
May 21, 2026
Francesco Bavato, Andrea E. Steuer, Anna M. Jacobsen et al.
Chronic users of methamphetamine (METH) and MDMA (Ecstasy) show distinct alterations in blood levels of tryptophan-related metabolites, which may help explain their different clinical effects. In a study of 36 chronic MDMA users, 33 chronic METH users, and 71 healthy controls, METH use was linked to depleted serum tryptophan and serotonin and broad activation of kynurenine pathways, whereas MDMA use was associated with selective activation of the OH-kynurenine branch. These metabolite changes correlated with the severity of depression and psychosis symptoms. The findings suggest that persistent changes in peripheral tryptophan metabolism may contribute to the substances' contrasting addiction and psychiatric profiles.
bioRxiv Preprint Server
August 25, 2025
Francesco Bavato, Andrea E. Steuer, Anna M. Jacobsen et al.
preprint
Chronic users of methamphetamine (METH) and MDMA (Ecstasy) show distinct changes in blood metabolites derived from tryptophan, a building block for serotonin and other signaling molecules. METH use was linked to lower serotonin levels and broad activation of the kynurenine pathway, while MDMA use was associated with a specific increase in a different branch of that pathway. These metabolite changes correlated with the severity of depression and psychosis symptoms. The findings suggest that lasting alterations in tryptophan metabolism may help explain the different clinical effects of the two drugs and could point to new therapeutic targets.