RT Journal
A1 McCann UD, Ricaurte GA, Molliver ME
T1 "ecstasy" and serotonin neurotoxicity: New findings raise more questions
JF Archives of General Psychiatry
JO Archives of General Psychiatry
YR 2001
FD October 1
VO 58
IS 10
SP 907
OP 908
DO 10.1001/archpsyc.58.10.907
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.58.10.907
AB 
THE ARTICLE by Reneman et al1 in this issue of the ARCHIVES is timely and provocative and highlights several areas of controversy in the fields of substance abuse, drug-induced neurotoxic effects, and neuroimaging. The authors present evidence that the illicit recreational drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, or "ecstasy") may cause persistent cognitive deficits2- 9 and that these deficits are related to the extent of previous MDMA use. Based on single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging with 123I-labeled 2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl)tropane (β-CIT), they conclude that MDMA causes neurotoxic injury to cortical serotonin (5-HT) axon terminals that may be reversible. This is the first study to evaluate a separate cohort of previous MDMA users who have abstained from use for longer than 1 year, and thus has the potential to provide information regarding long-term effects of exposure to MDMA.