“Why Do You Think They Call It Dope?”

Even light use of MDMA can result in problems with verbal memory.

Ecstasy (±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; MDMA) is a popular “club drug” with affinity and toxicity for serotonergic neurons. To prospectively study the effects of MDMA use on attention, memory, and visuospatial functioning, Dutch investigators recruited individuals who had not used MDMA but thought that they probably or certainly would use the drug soon.

Of the 158 subjects who completed baseline neuropsychological tests and returned all mailed questionnaires about drug use, 64 started using MDMA (mean dose, 3.2 tablets over 1.6 months). Fifty-eight users and 60 respondents who had not used MDMA underwent testing again (mean follow-up, 11 and 19 months, respectively; mean age at retesting, 23).

All results fell within normal ranges. Howev…

Reviewing Author

Steven Dubovsky, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportTower Foundation; Patrick Lee Foundation; Boehringer Ingelheim; Intra-Cellular Therapies; Janssen; Biogen; Allergan

Editorial BoardsMind and Brain; Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic; Current Psychiatry; Journal of Psychosomatic Research

Steven Dubovsky, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportTower Foundation; Patrick Lee Foundation; Boehringer Ingelheim; Intra-Cellular Therapies; Janssen; Biogen; Allergan

Editorial BoardsMind and Brain; Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic; Current Psychiatry; Journal of Psychosomatic Research

“Why Do You Think They Call It Dope?”

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Reviewing Author