ArticlePsychopharmacology2014
Depression, impulsiveness, sleep, and memory in past and present polydrug users of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy).
Article in Psychopharmacology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Memory deficits of MDMA users are linked to cortical thinning related to 5-HT receptor densities.Brain : a journal of neurology · 2026Article
- The relationship between 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) use in young adulthood and anxiety or depressive disorders in the mid-30s: Findings from the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2025Article
- Illicit Drug Use and Associated Problems in the Nightlife Scene: A Potential Setting for Prevention.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Acute effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and R(-) MDMA on actigraphy-based daytime activity and sleep parameters in rhesus monkeys.Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology · 2018Article
- Mood Fluctuation and Psychobiological Instability: The Same Core Functions Are Disrupted by Novel Psychoactive Substances and Established Recreational Drugs.Brain sciences · 2018Review
- (±)-MDMA and its enantiomers: potential therapeutic advantages of R(-)-MDMA.Psychopharmacology · 2018Review
- Separating the agony from ecstasy: R(-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine has prosocial and therapeutic-like effects without signs of neurotoxicity in mice.Neuropharmacology · 2018Article
- Shifting characteristics of ecstasy users ages 12-34 in the United States, 2007-2014.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2017Article
- MDMA self-administration fails to alter the behavioral response to 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(1B) agonists.Psychopharmacology · 2016Article
- A longitudinal study of self-reported psychopathology in early ecstasy and amphetamine users.Psychopharmacology · 2015Article
- Learning, Memory, and Executive Function in New MDMA Users: A 2-Year Follow-Up Study.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2015Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
rationaleEcstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA) is a worldwide recreational drug of abuse. Unfortunately, the results from human research investigating its psychological effects have been inconsistent.
objectivesThe present study aimed to be the largest to date in sample size and 5HT-related behaviors; the first to compare present ecstasy users with past users after an abstinence of 4 or more years, and the first to include robust controls for other recreational substances.
methodsA sample of 997 participants (52 % male) was recruited to four control groups (non-drug (ND), alcohol/nicotine (AN), cannabis/alcohol/nicotine (CAN), non-ecstasy polydrug (PD)), and two ecstasy polydrug groups (present (MDMA) and past users (EX-MDMA). Participants completed a drug history questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised which, in total, provided 13 psychometric measures.
resultsWhile the CAN and PD groups tended to record greater deficits than the non-drug controls, the MDMA and EX-MDMA groups recorded greater deficits than all the control groups on ten of the 13 psychometric measures. Strikingly, despite prolonged abstinence (mean, 4.98; range, 4-9 years), past ecstasy users showed few signs of recovery. Compared with present ecstasy users, the past users showed no change for ten measures, increased impairment for two measures, and improvement on just one measure.
conclusionsGiven this record of impaired memory and clinically significant levels of depression, impulsiveness, and sleep disturbance, the prognosis for the current generation of ecstasy users is a major cause for concern.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.