To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Study Finds Long-Term Ecstasy (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) Use Leads To Memory Loss URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/1F7866.htm Doctor's Guide April 10, 2001
ST. PAUL, MN -- April 10, 2001 -- Long-term users of 'ecstacy,' the street name for the drug methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), tend to experience memory loss or impairment, according to a study reported in the April 10 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Fifteen MDMA users, ranging in age from 17 to 31, participated in the year-long study. Participants of the study took the drug an average of 2.4 times per month. The testing regimen included measures sensitive to intelligence and every day memory functioning. Over the period of one year the test scores either declined or kept static, but did not improve. The main finding of the study is that continued use of MDMA is associated with different aspects of memory decline, including retrospective memory (i.e. the ability to recall a short passage of prose being read out immediately and after a delay). For example, the ability to recall a story after a brief delay declined by approximately 50 percent between the first and second assessments. The drug affects the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with learning and the consolidation of new memories. According to Konstantine Zakzanis, Ph.D., a professor with the University of Toronto's Division of Life Sciences, and a co-author of the study, "For those who use ecstacy repeatedly, there is preliminary evidence to suggest memory processes can be impaired with continued use of the drug. For those that use ecstacy once or twice in a lifetime, to date, there is no evidence to suggest impairment of memory function that are progressive or permanent in nature, although the jury of ecstasy researchers are still deliberating the matter." Dr. Zakzanis cautioned that the study relied on self reporting by participants, and that "Self reported drug habits are notoriously unreliable. We also have to take into account that there is little quality control in street drugs and most investigations provide only an estimate when calculating each subject's ecstasy intake." All subjects agreed to abstain from all drugs for at least two weeks prior to testing at baseline and follow-up. Their drug free status was confirmed by urine and blood screening tests. SOURCE: The American Academy of Neurology --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.