Dutch researchers have found that long term use of the drug ecstasy can cause structural brain damage, according to a report published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
The hippocampus is the area of the brain responsible for long term memory and was the focus of this study.
MRI scans were used to measure the volume of the hippocampus in two groups of young men. Ten of them were in their mid-20s who were long term ecstasy users, while the other group consisted of seven men in their early 20s with no history of ecstasy use.
Both groups of men have used similar amounts of recreational drugs, bar ecstasy, and drank alcohol regularly, but the ecstasy group had used more amphetamine and cocaine.
Before the start of the study, the ecstasy group had not been using for an average of more than two months, but had taken an average of 281 ecstasy tablets over the previous six and a half years, reports the journal.
The hippocampal volume in the ecstasy group was 10.5% smaller than the non-ecstasy group, with the overall proportion of grey matter about 4.6% lower on average. This was after the total brain volume was adjusted, the study found.
Taken together with previous research that suggested people who use ecstasy develop significant memory problems, “these data provide preliminary evidence suggesting that ecstasy users may be prone to incurring hippocampal damage, following chronic use of this drug,” state the authors of the study.
“Hippocampal atrophy is a hallmark for disease of progressive cognitive impairment in older patients, such as Alzheimer’s disease,” the researchers wrote.
However, the Dutch government’s former lead advisor on drugs misuse, Professor David Nutt says that, “the interesting pilot study”¦ is underpowered to provide definitive evidence of an effect of ecstasy.” The Guardian also reports Nutt as saying that the “evidence suggests that many drugs, including alcohol, can damage someone’s memory.
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