New study finds no cognitive impairment among ecstasy users

Pretty interesting read.


Management summary:

* In contrast to many prior studies, ecstasy users in the new study showed no signs of cognitive impairment attributable to drug use: ecstasy use did not decrease mental ability.

* The researchers fixed four problems in earlier research on ecstasy:
-- the non-users in the experiment were members of the "rave" subculture and thus repeatedly exposed to sleep and fluid deprivation from all-night dancing -- factors that themselves can produce long-lasting cognitive effects.
-- participants were screened for drug and alcohol use on the day of cognitive testing, to make sure all participants were tested while ‘clean’
-- the study chose ecstasy users who did not habitually use other drugs that might themselves contribute to cognitive impairment
-- the experiment corrected for the possibility that any cognitive impairment shown by ecstasy users might have been in place before they started using the drug

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Hopefully this will make the testing of XTC pills at parties more widely excepted, this to prevent bad pills (pill that are no XTC or have contaminants) from spreading.


Kind regards,

The Traveler

Cool. This doesn't surprise me in the least.

This highlights how important science should be in shaping drug policy. If only politicians were scientifically literate or cared...

The funny thing is if you look at the dangers of MDMA use referenced in the article they are a direct result of illegality of the chemical. (illegally-made pills can contain harmful contaminants, there are no warning labels, there is no medical supervision, and in rare cases people are physically harmed and even die from overdosing.)

you're gonna kick that horse again?

ecstacy is neurotoxic, even as "mollies". the use of "harmful adulterants" may be an additional factor, but even pure MDMA has been shown to erode fine axons in the raphe nuclei... in human brains.

raphe nuclei doesn't really have much to do with cognition. it's more involved with mood, and indirectly, pain relief.

^^Lots of compounds are found to do similar things benzyme. Example many compounds kill dopamine neurons even things found in mescaline containing cacti. But is this causing really significant damage? Doesn't seem to be worse then alcohol even when comparing occasional use.

Also some studies are just rubbish. One guy used meth instead of mdma.

3,4-DMPEA...definitely; it's almost up there with MPP+. they wreck the dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra. now that will result in cognitive impairment with prolonged use.

no, I agree...mdma is no more toxic than alcohol. I'm just disputing the premise, and many have used it, that only impure mdma is toxic. that's flat-out untrue; pure mdma is also neurotoxic.

^^Cool I wouldn't argue with that point the evidence points to it. It just doesn't seem to cause any real problems with mild use. I've certainly known people who binged on MDMA and had some emotional problems after all that use. They seemed to recover fine though. But this was heavy regular use I'm not sure how much but thats just what they told me.

Interesting Article ! I think its potentially misleading to call true MDMA Ecstasy these days.

In my country almost every xtc-pill is mixtures of Research Chemicals or Speed and other stimulants.
(+Drug Checking is illegalized)

Most pills here are bunk , and according to a psychiatrist I talked to ,
"XTC-Pills" is the number one drug among hospitalized people with long lasting psychosis like symptoms ,
(not psychedelics as some would expect)

The only time i did mess with a mystery pill... it had mcpp in it , and it was one of the most depressing ,unfulfilling toxic evenings i ever had . I think its classified as anxiogenic , even the initial effects are worse than a mdma comedown , not to mention the days after use.