8 ms·

Am i missing some of the article, or does it just not give any hint at the outcome of the MRI? I remember, years ago, seeing brain scans showing something like

by anjc 14y ago

Am i missing some of the article, or does it just not give any hint at the outcome of the MRI? I remember, years ago, seeing brain scans showing something like serotonin receptors before MDMA usage, and months after, and if i remember right, things hadn't gotten back to normal long after. Anyone know anything about the long term effects?

aroberge 14y ago
The study is in progress: it would be highly inappropriate for the researchers to release any kind of result at this point.
alwaysinshade 14y ago
IIRC those were scans of primate brains. A more recent and comprehensive study conducted by Dr. John H. Halpern, Director of the Laboratory for Integrative Psychiatry in the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse at McLean Hospital and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School found no residual cognitive effects in humans. "New Study Finds No Cognitive Impairment Among Ecstasy Users [...] a team of researchers has conducted one of the largest studies ever undertaken to re-examine the cognitive effects of ecstasy, funded by a $1.8 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and published in the journal Addiction." http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110215081736.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110215081736.ht... Conclusion from the actual study (journal behind paywall): "In a study designed to minimize limitations found in many prior investigations, we failed to demonstrate marked residual cognitive effects in ecstasy users. This finding contrasts with many previous findings—including our own—and emphasizes the need for continued caution in interpreting field studies of cognitive function in illicit ecstasy users." http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03252.x/abstract;jsessionid=46312C992DE7D0832BC7144607A56F9C.d03t04 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010....
gnosis 14y ago
Here's what Alexander Shulgin[1] had to say[2] in response to a similar question on the subject: Dear Dr. Shulgin: Lately I've been hearing a lot of talk about how every time you take ecstasy it does permanent damage to the brain. I've also heard that ecstasy puts holes in the brain. Are these statements true? -- Road Dog Dear Road Dog: No, they are not. The "permanent brain damage" is based totally on studies done with experimental animals, with the findings extrapolated to encompass the human subject. In a simple statement, there have been no studies in man that have indicated brain damage. The "holes in the brain" is an even more outrageous deception. These popular holes are areas in brain scans that appear less active in attracting radiolabelled agents that are agonists for certain receptor site areas. The pictures that are shown for comparison are not of the same person with or without MDMA in them, but of different people, one of whom has used a lot of ecstasy and the other one without any such history. The quintessence of this line of mythology is an article that appeared recently in the Willamette Week. It not only assured the reader that there were holes generated by serotonin loss, but that they became flooded with dopamine (the default neurotransmitter) and, being attacked by hydrogen peroxide, produced rust. Sorry, drug warriors. No damage, no holes, no rust. -- Dr. Shulgin I can also strongly recommend reading the information on MDMA (and other psychoactive substances) on erowid.org[3] [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Shulgin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Shulgin [2] - http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/shulgin/adsarchive/brainholes.htm http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/shulgin/adsarchive/brainhole... [3] - https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma.shtml https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma.shtml

by anjc 14y ago

aroberge 14y ago

The study is in progress: it would be highly inappropriate for the researchers to release any kind of result at this point.

alwaysinshade 14y ago

IIRC those were scans of primate brains. A more recent and comprehensive study conducted by Dr. John H. Halpern, Director of the Laboratory for Integrative Psychiatry in the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse at McLean Hospital and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School found no residual cognitive effects in humans. "New Study Finds No Cognitive Impairment Among Ecstasy Users [...] a team of researchers has conducted one of the largest studies ever undertaken to re-examine the cognitive effects of ecstasy, funded by a $1.8 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and published in the journal Addiction." http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110215081736.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110215081736.ht... Conclusion from the actual study (journal behind paywall): "In a study designed to minimize limitations found in many prior investigations, we failed to demonstrate marked residual cognitive effects in ecstasy users. This finding contrasts with many previous findings—including our own—and emphasizes the need for continued caution in interpreting field studies of cognitive function in illicit ecstasy users." http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03252.x/abstract;jsessionid=46312C992DE7D0832BC7144607A56F9C.d03t04 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010....

gnosis 14y ago

Here's what Alexander Shulgin[1] had to say[2] in response to a similar question on the subject: Dear Dr. Shulgin: Lately I've been hearing a lot of talk about how every time you take ecstasy it does permanent damage to the brain. I've also heard that ecstasy puts holes in the brain. Are these statements true? -- Road Dog Dear Road Dog: No, they are not. The "permanent brain damage" is based totally on studies done with experimental animals, with the findings extrapolated to encompass the human subject. In a simple statement, there have been no studies in man that have indicated brain damage. The "holes in the brain" is an even more outrageous deception. These popular holes are areas in brain scans that appear less active in attracting radiolabelled agents that are agonists for certain receptor site areas. The pictures that are shown for comparison are not of the same person with or without MDMA in them, but of different people, one of whom has used a lot of ecstasy and the other one without any such history. The quintessence of this line of mythology is an article that appeared recently in the Willamette Week. It not only assured the reader that there were holes generated by serotonin loss, but that they became flooded with dopamine (the default neurotransmitter) and, being attacked by hydrogen peroxide, produced rust. Sorry, drug warriors. No damage, no holes, no rust. -- Dr. Shulgin I can also strongly recommend reading the information on MDMA (and other psychoactive substances) on erowid.org[3] [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Shulgin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Shulgin [2] - http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/shulgin/adsarchive/brainholes.htm http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/shulgin/adsarchive/brainhole... [3] - https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma.shtml https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma.shtml