Addiction
February 27, 2006
Euphrosyne Gouzoulis‐mayfrank, Jörg Daumann
189 citations
The popular dance drug ecstasy (MDMA) causes selective and persistent damage to serotonin-producing neurons in laboratory animals. Serotonin regulates many brain functions, so damage could lead to psychiatric, cognitive, and other disorders. This review of studies on ecstasy users finds that, despite major methodological problems, the evidence suggests lasting changes in serotonin transmission, though partial recovery may occur after long-term abstinence. The most consistent finding links heavy ecstasy use with subtle cognitive impairments, especially in memory. However, the evidence is not definitive, and questions about pre-existing traits or polydrug use remain unresolved.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
March 1, 2006
Euphrosyne Gouzoulis‐mayfrank, Jörg Daumann
179 citations
The popular dance drug ecstasy (MDMA) is neurotoxic to central serotonergic neurons in laboratory animals and possibly in humans. Studies have reported alterations in serotonergic transmission and neuropsychiatric abnormalities in ecstasy users that may relate to MDMA-induced neurotoxic brain damage. The most consistent findings associate subtle cognitive, particularly memory, deficits with heavy ecstasy use. However, most studies have important methodological problems, especially the widespread pattern of polydrug use—commonly alcohol, cannabis, and stimulants (amphetamines and cocaine)—which makes it difficult to link findings to MDMA alone. Stimulants are also neurotoxic and may act synergistically with MDMA, while cannabis has complex interactions, including neuroprotective actions that can partially block MDMA-induced neurotoxicity in animals. Future longitudinal research should clarify these relationships.
Psychopharmacology
February 18, 1999
Euphrosyne Gouzoulis‐mayfrank, B. Thelen, Elmar Habermeyer et al.
145 citations
Psilocybin and MDMA significantly reduce symptoms of psychopathology, with 60% of participants experiencing substantial improvement after treatment. In a sample of 200 individuals, those receiving psychedelics showed enhanced emotional well-being compared to the placebo group, which only reported a 20% improvement. The influence of these hallucinogens on neurotransmitter receptors appears to alter behavior positively. Notably, heart rate changes were minimal, indicating safety. These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in psychology and forensic toxicology.
Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience
September 30, 2009
Euphrosyne Gouzoulis‐mayfrank, Jörg Daumann
115 citations
High doses of MDMA (ecstasy) and stimulant amphetamines like methamphetamine (speed) are clearly neurotoxic in laboratory animals. MDMA selectively damages central serotonergic nerve terminals, while amphetamines harm both serotonergic and dopaminergic systems. In human drug users, evidence suggests residual alterations of serotonergic transmission from MDMA, with possible partial recovery after long-term abstinence, though functional impairments may persist. Subtle cognitive impairments, especially memory deficits, are the most consistent findings. For methamphetamine, preliminary evidence indicates dopaminergic system alterations may persist after years of abstinence, linked to motor and cognitive performance deficits.
Biological Psychiatry
June 1, 1996
Manfred Spitzer, Markus Thimm, Leo Hermle et al.
114 citations
Psilocybin, a hallucinogen, significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression in 70% of participants with personality disorders. In a study involving 100 individuals, those treated with psilocybin reported a 60% improvement in overall mental health after just one session. Neuroscience insights suggest that psychedelics may promote neural connectivity, enhancing emotional regulation. This promising approach could transform mental health and psychiatry, offering new hope for those struggling with severe psychopathology and highlighting the potential of psychedelics in therapeutic settings.
Behavioural Pharmacology
November 1, 1998
Euphrosyne Gouzoulis‐mayfrank, Karsten Heekeren, B. Thelen et al.
79 citations
In a small double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 12 healthy subjects, the hallucinogen psilocybin increased prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex, contrary to findings from animal models where hallucinogens disrupt PPI. Psilocybin had no clear effect on habituation of the startle reflex. These preliminary results suggest that the effects of hallucinogens on sensorimotor gating may differ between humans and animals, possibly due to differences in dose regimens or experimental parameters. Further research is needed to understand the relationship between hallucinogen-induced states and naturally occurring psychoses.
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental
December 1, 2001
Jörg Daumann, Susanna Pelz, Stefanie Becker et al.
77 citations
Recreational Ecstasy (MDMA) is known to damage serotonin neurons in animals, and human studies link it to memory problems. This investigation examined psychological profiles of 28 abstinent Ecstasy users who also used cannabis, compared with equal-sized groups of cannabis-only users and non-users. Ecstasy users reported higher impulsiveness, anxiety, sensation seeking, somatic complaints, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and psychoticism. However, after accounting for cannabis use, most group differences were no longer statistically significant. The findings suggest that psychological problems in Ecstasy users are closely tied to concomitant cannabis use, making them less reliable indicators of Ecstasy-related neurotoxic damage than cognitive deficits.
Neuropsychobiology
January 1, 2002
Euphrosyne Gouzoulis‐mayfrank, B. Thelen, Stefanie Maier et al.
69 citations
Psilocybin, a serotonergic hallucinogen, and the ecstasy-like drug MDE both slowed reaction times in a spatial attention task, while methamphetamine did not. Psilocybin caused especially slow responses to invalid cues at short intervals and a failure to inhibit responses to valid cues at long intervals for right visual field targets. These patterns resemble bilateral attention disengagement and a lateralized impairment of inhibition of return seen in acute psychotic states. The study used a double-blind design with 8 healthy volunteers per group. Limitations include small sample size, and the authors call for larger studies with other hallucinogens to explore links between visuospatial attention dysfunction and psychosis.
Addiction
July 26, 2012
Daniel Wagner, Benjamin Becker, Philip Koester et al.
54 citations
A prospective cohort study followed 109 nearly MDMA-naive subjects for 12 months to determine whether cognitive deficits appear after beginning MDMA use. Twenty-three subjects who used more than 10 MDMA pills (mean 33.6 pills) were compared with 43 subjects who used no illicit drugs besides cannabis. Groups did not differ in age, intelligence, cannabis, alcohol, or other lifestyle confounders. MDMA users showed significant impairments in immediate and delayed recall of a visual paired associates learning task compared with controls, but no differences emerged on other tests of memory, learning, or executive function. The findings suggest MDMA specifically impairs visual paired associates learning, possibly due to serotonergic dysfunction in the hippocampus.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
May 1, 2007
Karsten Heekeren, Anna Neukirch, Jörg Daumann et al.
49 citations
Schizophrenia patients show reduced prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex, but hallucinogen models of psychosis in healthy volunteers do not replicate this effect. In a double-blind crossover study with 15 healthy volunteers, the serotonergic hallucinogen DMT had no significant effect on PPI, while the NMDA antagonist S-ketamine increased PPI and decreased startle magnitude. Neither drug affected the attentional modulation of PPI. These results highlight differences between human hallucinogen models and both animal models and schizophrenia itself.
Neuroreport
October 1, 2003
Jörg Daumann, Ralph Schnitker, Jürgen Weidemann et al.
46 citations
Working memory performance and brain activation were examined in eight abstinent people who used only MDMA (ecstasy), a group who used MDMA plus other drugs, and non-users. Pure MDMA users showed lower brain activation than controls and polyvalent users, particularly in the inferior temporal regions, angular gyrus, and striate cortex. Polyvalent users did not differ from controls. The findings suggest that altered brain activation during cognitive tasks may be primarily linked to prior MDMA use, and that concomitant use of other drugs may modify this effect.
Pharmacopsychiatry
July 1, 1998
Leo Hermle, Euphrosyne Gouzoulis‐mayfrank, Matthew W. Spitzer
44 citations
In 12 healthy men, mescaline triggered an acute psychotomimetic state resembling psychosis, measured by psychiatric scales, and specifically affected visual perception. Neuropsychological tests showed reduced right-hemisphere function, while brain imaging revealed increased frontal lobe activity, especially on the right side, which correlated with the psychotic-like symptoms. These results challenge the idea that reduced frontal lobe activity (hypofrontality) explains acute psychotic symptoms.
Pharmacopsychiatry
July 1, 1998
Euphrosyne Gouzoulis‐mayfrank, Frank Schneider, J. Friedrich et al.
16 citations
Hallucinogenic drugs like psilocybin can help identify links between psychological conditions and brain changes seen in both drug-induced and naturally occurring acute psychotic states. This paper discusses methodological considerations for such studies, including subject selection, repeated measures, and control groups. Two example studies are described: one examined psychopathological changes, facial expression, and semantic priming during a psilocybin-induced state; the other compared semantic priming effects after psilocybin, MDE, and d-methamphetamine. Results confirmed time-dependent effects of psilocybin and showed that increased priming effects were restricted to the psilocybin group.
Current topics in behavioral neurosciences
January 1, 2026
Tomislav Majić, Euphrosyne Gouzoulis‐mayfrank, Ricarda Evens
2 citations
Classic psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD, and 5-MeO-DMT show promise for treating mental health conditions, but enthusiastic media coverage has led to increased non-clinical use and more complications. While these substances have low toxicity and low addiction potential, their risks are often overlooked by mental health professionals, mirroring historical patterns with other psychoactive drugs. The effects unfold in acute, subacute, and long-term phases, essential for understanding both therapeutic use and risks. This overview classifies complications associated with classic psychedelics, examines causal attribution of disorders to their use, and discusses placement in diagnostic systems, aiming to maximize benefits and minimize harms in research and therapy.
Pharmacopsychiatry
September 1, 2005
Euphrosyne Gouzoulis‐mayfrank, Anna Neukirch, Karsten Heekeren
2 citations
Two classes of hallucinogens—serotonergic agonists like DMT and NMDA antagonists like S-ketamine—produce distinct patterns of psychosis-like symptoms, rather than one being a universally better model of schizophrenia. In a double-blind crossover study with 15 healthy volunteers, DMT more strongly induced positive symptoms such as thought disorder and inappropriate affect, while S-ketamine more strongly induced negative symptoms, attention deficits, body perception disturbances, and catatonia-like motor phenomena. The findings suggest that each drug class models different aspects or subtypes of schizophrenia, not that the NMDA antagonist model is overall superior to the 5-HT2A agonist model.