Research links ecstasy to brain damage

Further evidence that ecstasy can cause serious brain damage emerged today.

Researchers at Cambridge University and the University of East London conducted tests on ecstasy users which showed significant mental impairment.

In particular, ecstasy users performed worse than non-ecstasy users in tasks involving working memory and visual recognition of patterns.

The results add to a growing body of research which has demonstrated the harmful effects of ecstasy.

The drug is known to affect cognition and mood regulation, and recent evidence suggested it could destroy nerve cells at certain doses.

In the latest study a group of 40 adults aged 18 to 48 were given tests designed to identify cognitive problems.

All had used a variety of drugs including cocaine, LSD, cannabis and amphetamine. 20 had used ecstasy regularly, and 20 had no experience of the drug.

Ecstasy users had taken an average of about 170 tablets over a four year period.

The ecstasy and non-ecstasy groups performed as well as each other on a number of tasks. But ecstasy users showed significant impairment in several others, mostly involving memory.

The findings come at a time when some MPs are calling for the drug to be downgraded from Class A to Class B.

Dr Barbara Sahakian, from the Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge University, said: ‘‘These findings of memory problems due to ecstasy use should raise concerns, particularly since the group studied were only early-stage and not long-term users.’’