Brain serotonin transporter binding in former users of MDMA (‘ecstasy’)
The British Journal of Psychiatry March 31, 2009 Sudhakar Selvaraj, Rosa Hoshi, Zubin Bhagwagar et al. 59 citations
Former MDMA users show no significant difference in serotonin transporter binding compared to non-users, suggesting that recreational MDMA use may not cause long-term damage to serotonin neurons in humans. The study measured serotonin transporter binding with PET imaging in 12 former MDMA users, 9 polydrug users who never took MDMA, and 19 controls with no illicit drug history. No differences in binding potential were found across any brain regions examined. These results challenge concerns from animal studies that MDMA use leads to persistent serotonin neurotoxicity in humans.