Striatal serotonin is depleted in brain of a human MDMA (Ecstasy) user
Neurology July 25, 2000 Stephen J. Kish, Yoshiaki Furukawa, Lee-Cyn Ang et al. 119 citations
In the brain of a chronic MDMA user, serotonin and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were depleted by 50 to 80% in the striatum, while dopamine levels remained normal. This suggests that MDMA exposure can reduce serotonin stores in the human brain, and some behavioral effects of the drug may result from massive release and depletion of serotonin.