Study Gives Evidence
Ecstasy Directly Harms Brain

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - There has been much evidence that Ecstasy use has consequences for the brain, and new research now offers proof that the drug may directly inflict damage to certain brain cells.

Brain images taken from people who use Ecstasy, or MDMA, have shown impairment of the brain's serotonin system. Serotonin is a chemical involved in pleasurable feelings, and Ecstasy triggers its high through a massive release of serotonin from brain cells.

However, it has been unclear whether Ecstasy directly damages the serotonin system. It is possible, for instance, that people with such impairment are more likely to abuse Ecstasy precisely because it enhances serotonin levels. Indeed, research has suggested that people with low serotonin levels in the brain are more likely to have a ``novelty-seeking personality,'' which includes drug use.

So Dr. John H. Gruzelier and colleagues at the Imperial College School of Medicine in London, UK, tried to answer this cause-and-effect question by studying long-time Ecstasy users.

In experiments in which serotonin-dependent electrical activity in the brain was recorded, the investigators found that damage was related to the total amount of Ecstasy users had ever taken, regardless of how often they used the drug. This suggests that Ecstasy use is a cause--rather than a result of--abnormalities in the serotonin system.

Among 22 people who had used Ecstasy for 4.5 years, on average, impairments in this brain activity were linked to how many Ecstasy tablets users had taken, regardless of how frequently they had used the drug. The number of pills each had used ranged from a handful to around 800, with 226 being the average.

This pattern in brain activity was not seen among 19 marijuana users and 20 non-drug users who were studied for comparison. In fact, marijuana use in general was not related to serotonin damage, according to the report in the October issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The consequences of drug damage to the serotonin system--and whether it is reversible--are not fully clear. Research has shown Ecstasy may impair memory, but it is unclear if the deficit is due to the drug's effects on serotonin. Gruzelier's team suggests that the depression seen in some Ecstasy users could be a result of damage to the serotonin system.

Based on the current findings, they write, ``it is concluded that regular use of this drug may carry with it serious consequences.''

SOURCE: American Journal of Psychiatry 2001;158:1687-1692.

Reference Source 89

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