Ecstasy neurotoxic even after first-time use

Last Updated: 2006-11-28 16:39:31 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Taking the drug ecstasy (also known by its chemical name MDMA), even just a few times, can harm the brain, according to the results of first study to look at the neurotoxic effects of low doses of the illegal "club drug" in first-time ecstasy users.

Brain imaging studies performed in 56 non-users and 59 first-time ecstasy users, who had taken an average of just six tablets, revealed subtle changes in cell architecture and decreased blood flow in some areas of the brain in the young adults.

A decrease in verbal memory was also seen in new ecstasy users compared with non-users, Dr. Maartje de Win of Academic Medical Center at the University of Amsterdam reported Monday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago.

"These memory changes were quite subtle but they were measurable," she noted in an interview with Reuters Health.

It's not known where these harmful effects on the brain are fleeting or permanent. "There is some evidence, in heavy ecstasy users, that part of the brain recovers," de Win said, "although we don't know if brain cells recover, whether their function is the same."

Studies have shown that long-term or heavy ecstasy use can damage neurons in the brain and cause depression, anxiety, confusion, difficulty sleeping and memory impairment. De Win's study, however, is the first to look at the neurotoxic effects of low doses of ecstasy on first-time users.

Ecstasy, which is highly addictive, stimulates the release of the brain chemical serotonin, producing a high that lasts from several minutes to an hour. The drug's "feel-good" effects vary by the individual, the dose and purity, and the environment in which it is taken. The drug can also produce hallucinogenic effects.

Ecstasy burst onto the club scene in the 1980s and its use escalated in the 1990s, particularly among adolescents and young adults. In 2005, the National Institute on Drug Abuse estimated that 5.4 percent of all graduating seniors in the US had tried the drug at least once.

"Our study shows that, even in small doses, ecstasy may harm the brain and people should be informed of this risk," de Win warned.