What is the evidence for psychobiological harm from the use of ‘ecstasy’ (MDMA)?
Carl Alexander Roberts, Catharine Montgomery
June 14, 2018 DOI: 10.4324/9781315642765-24 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review |
|---|---|
| Topics | MDMA |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | The chapter reviews evidence that chronic ecstasy use is associated with deficits in immediate and delayed declarative memory and with generalised prospective memory difficulties affecting everyday functioning, alongside summarised findings on executive performance relative to controls. It frames these cognitive findings within the premise that chronic ecstasy use may interfere with regulatory serotonin signalling and thereby cause psychobiological harm. |
Abstract
Ecstasy/3,4 Methylenedioxymethamphetamine is a popular recreational drug that is a potent indirect monoaminergic agonist that has structural similarities to mescaline and amphetamine. It is presumed that interfering with regulatory serotonin signalling with chronic ecstasy use may result in psychobiological harm. This chapter reviews evidence from studies assessing mood, cognition, pain, sleep and neuroendocrine function, in addition to molecular, structural and functional neuroimaging to assess functional and neural evidence of psychobiological harm. Declarative memory requires conscious recall of memory. Both immediate and delayed recall are areas that appear to consistently show deficits associated with ecstasy use. Ecstasy users show generalised prospective memory difficulties that have implications for everyday functioning. The chapter summarises the literature investigating executive performance in ecstasy users relative to controls. Miyake et al.&s;s initial influential framework of executive function suggested that separable executive functions were: &s;mental set switching&s;, &s;inhibitory control&s; and &s;memory updating&s;.
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 |