[EDLING:189] Ecstasy harms language-related memory, study finds

[Francis M. Hult]

CTV.ca

Ecstasy harms language-related memory, study finds

Even low doses of Ecstasy may be associated with a decline in language-related 
memory, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General 
Psychiatry. 


Ecstasy, known scientifically as MDMA for methylenedioxymethamphetamine, is a 
chemical cousin of methamphetamine and typically induces feelings of euphoria, 
increased energy and sexual arousal. 

But the illegal hallucinogenic drug also suppresses appetite, thirst and the 
need to sleep, and in high doses can sharply increase body temperature, leading 
to kidney and heart failure, and death. 


Research in both humans and animals suggests the drug can harm the brain by 
damaging damage nerve cells that respond to serotonin, which is involved in 
mood, thinking, learning and memory. 


Thelma Schilt, M.Sc., of the Academic Medical Center of the University of 
Amsterdam, and colleagues recruited 188 volunteers who had not used Ecstasy but 
reported that they were likely to try it soon. The average age of the 
volunteers was 22. 

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