Human Research on MDMA (3,4-Methylene- dioxymethamphetamine) Neurotoxicity: Cognitive and Behavioural Indices of Change
Neuropsychobiology 2000 DOI: 10.1159/000026666 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Drug-free recreational Ecstasy users |
| Topics | MDMA Serotonin |
| Keywords | Cognition Impulsivity Stroop effect Vigilance psychology Cognitive psychology Developmental psychology |
| Citations | 153 |
| Key findings | Recreational Ecstasy users show reduced memory for new information, impaired higher executive processing, and heightened impulsivity, consistent with serotonergic damage seen in animal studies. |
Abstract
Laboratory animals can develop serotonergic neurotoxicity after repeated doses of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or ‘Ecstasy’. If similar neural damage occurs in humans, this may be evident in cognitive or behavioural impairments. In a review of the behavioural skills shown by drug-free recreational Ecstasy users, three aspects of cognitive performance are often affected: reduced memory for new information (Rivermead Behavioral Memory, supraspan word recall), impaired higher executive processing (Wisconsin Card Sort, Tower of London), and heightened impulsivity (Impulsiveness, Venturesomeness and Empathy Questionnaire, Matching Familiar Figures test). Performance on other more basic cognitive functions is generally unimpaired (simple reaction time, choice reaction time, number vigilance, Stroop, trail making). Some Ecstasy users also complain of poor memories and/or concentration difficulties, which they attribute to MDMA use. There are many methodological problems and uncertainties with research in this field: non-random allocation of subjects to drug conditions, the deleterious effects of other psychoactive drugs, and the possibility that these adverse profiles reflect pre-existing personality characteristics in Ecstasy users. However, this particular pattern of cognitive decrements in humans, is consistent with the animal data on those brain areas showing serotonergic damage following MDMA: the frontal cortex (impulsivity and higher cognitive impairments), and hippocampus (memory deficits). Finally, this profile of cognitive deficits is also consistent with a hypothetical integrative construct: namely reduced cortical inhibition.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on MDMA, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Pharmacology of MDMA | 2004 | Review | |
| Human psychopharmacology of Ecstasy (MDMA): a review of 15 years of empirical research | 2001 | Review | |
| 3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”): pharmacology and toxicology in animals and humans | 1994 | Review | |
| (±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’)-Induced Serotonin Neurotoxicity: Studies in Animals | 2000 | Review | |
| Amphetamine toxicities | 2010 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 58
- Human psychopharmacology of Ecstasy (MDMA): a review of 15 years of empirical research Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental December 1, 2001
- Chronic tolerance to recreational MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) or Ecstasy Journal of Psychopharmacology 2005
- Cortical Serotonin Transporter Density and Verbal Memory in Individuals Who Stopped Using 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "Ecstasy") Archives of General Psychiatry October 1, 2001
- Neurotoxicity of methylenedioxyamphetamines (MDMA; ecstasy) in humans: how strong is the evidence for persistent brain damage? Addiction February 27, 2006
- Human psychobiology of MDMA or ‘Ecstasy’: an overview of 25 years of empirical research Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental July 1, 2013
and 53 more in the library
Cites 13
- Positron emission tomographic evidence of toxic effect of MDMA (“Ecstasy”) on brain serotonin neurons in human beings The Lancet October 1, 1998
- 3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”): pharmacology and toxicology in animals and humans Addiction May 1, 1994
- (±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’)-Induced Serotonin Neurotoxicity: Studies in Animals Neuropsychobiology 2000
- Cognitive performance in recreational users of MDMA or 'ecstasy': evidence for memory deficits Journal of Psychopharmacology 1998
- (±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’)-Induced Serotonin Neurotoxicity: Clinical Studies Neuropsychobiology 2000
and 8 more in the library