Ecstasy causes changes in the brain

NASHVILLE, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Recreational use of the illegal drug Ecstasy, which produces feelings of euphoria, is associated with chronic changes in the human brain, U.S. researchers say.

Dr. Ronald Cowan, associate professor of psychiatry at Vanderbilt University, said the study provides some of the strongest evidence to date that the drug causes chronic loss of serotonin in humans.

The neurotransmitter serotonin has roles in regulating mood, appetite, sleep, learning and memory. MDMA, Ecstasy's chemical name, may have therapeutic benefits and is being tested as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety associated with cancer.

"It's essential that we understand the risk associated with using Ecstasy," Cowan said in a statement. "If news keeps coming out that MDMA is being tested therapeutically and is safe, more people will tend to self-administer the drug. We need to know the dose at which this drug becomes toxic. Our studies suggest that if you use Ecstasy recreationally, the more you use, the more brain changes you get."

Cowan and colleagues used positron emission tomography imaging to examine the levels of serotonin-2A receptors in various brain regions, in females who had used Ecstasy -- but not in the 90 days prior to imaging -- and in females who had never used the drug.

The study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, found Ecstasy users had increased levels of serotonin-2A receptors and that higher lifetime use of the drug correlated with higher serotonin receptor levels.