Ecstasy and Brain Damage

MRI scans show long-term ecstasy users may be at risk for brain damage. HealthDay (4/7, Preidt) reported, "Long-term users of the illegal drug ecstasy" (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) are at risk for "brain damage," according to a study in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. The researchers used MRI scans to measure the "volume of the hippocampus" in 10 men who were long-term ecstasy users and seven men "who had never used the drug." On average, the users had taken an "average of 281 ecstasy tablets" over the previous six years. The scans revealed that compared to non-users, ecstasy users had an average 10.5-percent "less hippocampal volume" and an average "4.6-percent lower overall proportion of grey matter in the brain, which suggests that the effects of ecstasy may not be limited to the hippocampus." According to WebMD (4/7, Hendrick), the study authors said their findings "mirror previous research that has indicated acute swelling and later atrophy of hippocampal tissue in long-term ecstasy users." Notably, the scientists pointed out that hippocampus atrophy "is a hallmark" for progressive cognitive-impairment diseases, such as Alzheimer's. Medscape (4/7, Lowry) noted that the ecstasy users had also "used more amphetamine and cocaine," but there were "no significant differences between the two groups in recreational drug exposure, other than ecstasy. Both groups also drank alcohol regularly." Meanwhile, Jean M. Bidlack, PhD, professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York, who was not involved in the study, said the preliminary trial "needs to be followed up with a larger study that enrolls a greater number of former ecstasy users."