European Neuropsychopharmacology
March 1, 2014
Andrew C. Parrott, H. Sands, Lewis Jones et al.
35 citations
Repeated heavy use of Ecstasy/MDMA is associated with nearly 4-fold higher cortisol levels in hair compared to non-users. Hair samples from 101 participants (aged 21.75 years on average) showed that heavy users (5+ times in 3 months) had mean cortisol levels of 55.0 pg/mg, light users (1-4 times) had 19.4 pg/mg, and non-users had 13.8 pg/mg. The difference between heavy users and non-users was statistically significant. These elevated cortisol levels may help explain cognitive, psychiatric, and other problems seen in some abstinent users and support the bio-energetic stress model for MDMA.
Psychopharmacology
August 1, 2011
Adrian P. Burgess, Louise Venables, Helena Jones et al.
26 citations
Recreational Ecstasy use, whose active ingredient MDMA affects the serotonin system, is linked to subtle cognitive problems, especially in verbal episodic memory. This study compared event-related potentials (ERPs) during recognition memory tasks among 15 Ecstasy/polydrug users, 14 cannabis users, and 13 non-illicit drug users. Although memory performance was equivalent across groups, Ecstasy/polydrug users showed a reduced late positivity over left parietal scalp sites, an ERP component tied to recollection. This effect appeared only for words, consistent with evidence that left-hemisphere cognitive functions are disproportionately affected by Ecstasy, likely due to serotonin system asymmetry. The findings suggest a durable abnormality in recollection-related brain activity among Ecstasy users.
Behavioural Pharmacology
December 1, 2016
Andrew C. Parrott
19 citations
MDMA (ecstasy) affects mood and energy partly by increasing the neurohormones oxytocin and cortisol. While initial evidence linked oxytocin to enhanced sociability, that finding has not been replicated. Cortisol may amplify positive feelings from oxytocin. Chronic regular use of MDMA disrupts cortisol regulation, as shown by elevated cortisol in hair samples, altered cortisol awakening response, and higher daily stress, indicating changes to the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. The effects of chronic use on oxytocin remain unknown. The neurohormones oxytocin and cortisol contribute to the psychobiological effects of recreational ecstasy/MDMA.
Human psychopharmacology
July 1, 2015
Lynn T. Singer, Derek G. Moore, Meeyoung O. Min et al.
16 citations
A longitudinal study tracked infants whose mothers used MDMA (ecstasy) during pregnancy to assess developmental effects. The review of findings suggests that prenatal MDMA exposure may be associated with delays in motor development and increased risk of fine motor deficits during infancy. The authors indicate that the observed effects appear to be dose-dependent, with heavier use linked to more pronounced developmental differences. The findings point to potential neurodevelopmental consequences of prenatal MDMA exposure, though the authors note that confounding factors such as other substance use and socioeconomic conditions complicate interpretation.