MDMA intoxication and verbal memory performance: a placebo-controlled pharmaco-MRI study
Kim P. C. Kuypers, Marleen Wingen, Armin Heinecke, Elia Formisano, Johannes G. Ramaekers
Journal of Psychopharmacology May 26, 2011 DOI: 10.1177/0269881111405361 via OpenAlex
Summary
A single 75 mg dose of MDMA impairs memory encoding by disrupting activity in the left middle frontal gyrus (BA10). In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 14 Ecstasy users completed a word-learning task during pharmaco-MRI. Under MDMA, performance on the experimental word list (which required encoding) was worse than under placebo. Encoding-related brain activity was found in frontal, temporal, and parietal regions, but MDMA specifically interfered with activation in the left middle frontal gyrus, right fusiform gyrus, and left cuneus. Only the middle frontal gyrus showed a correlation between brain activity and behavioral performance: during placebo, better performance corresponded with greater activation, but this relationship disappeared under MDMA.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Placebo-controlled Double-blind Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 14 |
| Population | Ecstasy users |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Dose | 75 mg |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Keywords | Placebo Neural substrate Middle frontal gyrus |
| Citations | 19 |
| Key finding | MDMA impairs memory encoding by reducing activity in the left middle frontal gyrus. |
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to identify the neural substrate underlying memory impairment due to a single dose of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) by means of pharmaco-MRI. Based on previous behavioral results it was hypothesized that this deficit could be attributed to a specific influence of MDMA on encoding. Fourteen Ecstasy users participated in this double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject study with two treatment conditions: MDMA (75 mg) and placebo. Memory performance was tested by means of a word learning task including two words lists, one addressing reading processes (control task, CWL) and a second (experimental task, EWL) addressing encoding and reading processes. Behavioral data showed that under the influence of MDMA, EWL performance was worse than placebo. Imaging data showed that Encoding was situated mainly in (pre)frontal, temporal and parietal areas. MDMA by Encoding interaction was situated in three areas: the left middle frontal gyrus (BA10), the right fusiform gyrus (BA19), and the left cuneus (BA18). Behavioral and functional data only correlated in BA10. It appeared that EWL performance caused BOLD signal change in BA10 during placebo treatment but not during MDMA intoxication. It is concluded that MDMA influences middle frontal gyrus processes resulting in impoverished memory encoding.