Journal of Psychopharmacology
March 30, 2006
Boris B. Quednow, Frank Jessen, Kai‐uwe Kühn et al.
105 citations
Chronic MDMA (ecstasy) use is linked to long-term serotonin depletion and memory deficits. Nineteen male abstinent MDMA users, 19 male abstinent cannabis users, and 19 male drug-naive controls took a German version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. MDMA users showed widespread verbal memory deficits—in learning, consolidation, recall, and recognition—compared to both cannabis users and controls, while cannabis users performed similarly to controls. MDMA users also had worse recall consistency and strong retroactive interference, measures tied to frontal lobe function. Memory performance correlated with the amount of MDMA taken. The findings suggest MDMA-related memory deficits involve frontal cortex dysfunction, not just temporal or hippocampal damage.
JAMA Neurology
October 10, 2022
Gaël Chételat, Antoine Lutz, Olga Klimecki et al.
45 citations
An 18-month randomized trial of meditation training versus non-native language training or no intervention in cognitively unimpaired adults aged 65 and older found no significant changes in brain volume or perfusion of the anterior cingulate cortex or insula from meditation. Meditation did produce superior improvements in a composite score of attention regulation, socioemotional capacities, and self-knowledge compared with language training. The findings confirm the feasibility of both meditation and language training in older adults, with high adherence and low dropout, but the positive behavioral effects of meditation were not accompanied by measurable changes in the targeted brain structures.
PLoS ONE
April 9, 2013
Oliver G. Bosch, Michael Wagner, Frank Jessen et al.
34 citations
Recreational users of MDMA show verbal learning and recall deficits that are linked to reduced glucose metabolism in the prefrontal and parietal cortex, and word recognition difficulties are additionally associated with reduced metabolism in the mediotemporal region. These findings indicate that memory problems in MDMA users result from combined dysfunction across frontal, parietal, and mediotemporal brain areas.
PloS one
January 1, 2023
Marco Schlosser, Harriet Demnitz-King, Thorsten Barnhofer et al.
13 citations
Older adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) recruited from memory clinics are at higher risk for dementia and often have reduced well-being due to memory concerns and fear of dementia. A randomized trial compared an 8-week caring mindfulness-based approach for seniors (CMBAS) with a health self-management program (HSMP) in 147 participants. The mindfulness program showed a small advantage over HSMP in improving a sense of connection immediately after the intervention. However, overall psychological well-being, quality of life, and other composite measures did not increase in either group. The findings suggest that these brief non-pharmacological interventions had only limited effects on well-being in SCD.