Event related potential (ERP) evidence for selective impairment of verbal recollection in abstinent recreational methylenedioxymethamphetamine (“Ecstasy”)/polydrug users
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.