Ecstasy leads to chronic changes in the human brain
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Scientists from Vanderbilt University argue that the frequent use of ecstasy - an illegal rave drug that causes to euphoria and emotional arousal, leads to chronic changes in the human brain.
The results of the study are published in the Archives of General Psychiatry and provide evidence that ecstasy causes prolonged neurotoxicity of serotonin in the human body.
"Our study shows that the drug causes chronic loss of serotonin in the human body," says study author Ronald Cowen.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for the regulation of mood, appetite, sleep, learning and memory.
This study is important because MDMA (the chemical name for ecstasy) can have a therapeutic effect and is currently undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety associated with cancer.
"It is important that we understand the risks associated with using ecstasy. Having proved the safety of MDMA in clinical studies, people will be able to use this drug on their own. Therefore, it is important to know the dose at which this drug becomes toxic, "Cowen said.
In the current study, Cowan and his colleagues used positron emission tomography (PET) to study serotonin 2A receptor levels in various areas of the brain in women who had used ecstasy and in women who had never used this drug. Scientists have limited their research to women, as previous studies have shown gender differences in levels of serotonin receptors.
They found that ecstasy increased the level of serotonin-2A receptors and that a longer period of drug use (or higher doses) correlated with higher levels of serotonin receptors. The data are consistent with some studies in animal models: the number of receptors increased in parallel with an increase in the dose of the drug to compensate for the loss of serotonin.
Earlier, Cowan and his colleagues reported that ecstasy activates the brain in three areas associated with visual processing. "Together, these two studies provide convincing evidence that ecstasy leads to long-term changes in the brain activity of serotonin," said Cowen. "It's really important to know if this drug causes long-term brain damage, since millions of people use it," he said. The National Survey conducted in 2010 on drug use showed that 15.9 million people 12 years of age or older in the US used ecstasy for life; 695 000 people used ecstasy a month before the study was conducted.
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