Recreational use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or ‘ecstasy’: evidence for cognitive impairment
Psychological Medicine May 1, 2001 Sarajane Bhattachary, Jane H. Powell 138 citations
Recreational users of MDMA (ecstasy) show impaired verbal memory and verbal fluency compared to non-users, while visual memory and working memory remain unaffected. In a study comparing 80 participants divided into non-users, novice users, regular users, and currently abstinent users, all three MDMA-using groups performed significantly worse on tests of immediate and delayed prose recall and verbal fluency. The deficits were not explained by differences in general intelligence or cannabis use. Days since last use and total lifetime consumption of MDMA each independently contributed to the variance in recall scores, together accounting for nearly half the variance in delayed recall. The findings suggest that verbal memory impairments in MDMA users combine reversible acute effects that resolve over two to three weeks with longer-term changes linked to lifetime exposure.