MDMA's Effects on Memory Function
Quote:
Spacecowboy writes:
Hmmmmmm! Coming from somebody whose memory so often goes conveniently
blank, this speaks volumes
ROTFLMAO..... you are too funny!!!!!
Kim
Quote:
> > Reuters Medical News
> > MDMA's Effects on Memory Function
> > May Be Long-Lasting
> Hmmmmmm! Coming from somebody whose memory so often goes conveniently
> blank, this speaks volumes
> > WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) Oct 15 - While use of the
> > popular psychoactive drug "ecstasy" (MDMA) may transiently
> > damage serotonin (5-HT) neurons in the cerebral cortex, the
> > drug's effects on memory function appear to be long-lasting,
> > according to a report published in the October issue of the
> > Archives of General Psychiatry.
> > Dr. Liesbeth Reneman, from the Academic Medical Center in
> > Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues studied 22 recent
> > MDMA users, 16 former users, and 13 control subjects to
> > determine the drug's effects on 5-HT neurons and memory
> > function.
> > Recent MDMA users had significantly lower 5-HT transporter
> > densities than control subjects, but former users did not. This
> > suggests that MDMA's neurotoxic effects on 5-HT neurons are
> > reversible, the authors note.
> > Current and former users were unable to recall as many words as
> > were control subjects during immediate and delayed recall testing.
> > In addition, the lifetime doses of MDMA were directly related to
> > the degree of impairment in immediate verbal memory, the
> > researchers note. Memory function findings were not related to
> > 5-HT findings or the duration of MDMA abstinence.
> > "These findings will provide a cogent argument for consumers to
> > make informed decisions about recreational drug use," the
> > researchers state. "In addition, since the consequences of loss of
> > the 'serotonergic' reserve in later life is difficult to predict but
> > could
> > be clinically significant, the present study indicates the necessity
> > of...prospective studies of psychiatric morbidity in MDMA users
> > to foresee future demands on healthcare."
> > In a related editorial, Dr. Una D. McCann and colleagues at the
> > Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore,
> > comment that while the current findings indicate that MDMA can
> > produce memory loss, "important questions concerning causality
> > and mechanisms remain unresolved." However, the tools do exist
> > to answer many of these questions.
> > In the meantime, they believe it is "urgent" for the public to
> > understand that "MDMA may cause long-term damage and
> > dysfunction in the human brain."
> > Arch Gen Psychiatry 2001;58:901-908.
