Ecstasy impairs memory!!!...so be careful ;-)

Task nº 2


A new research indicates that ecstasy can cause lasting damage to the human brain, even if the drug is only taken for a short time and in low doses.The memory of ecstasy users who were asked to remember lists of words was impaired, the study found.

In the experiment the procedure was:

• First test non-drug users (188 volunteers, who said they would probably tried ecstasy). The psychological exercises included tests of attention and memory.


• Then test drug-users (58 of the 188 volunteers). On average, the subjects had taken around three ecstasy pills in total.

Research on animals has shown that ecstasy can cause long-lasting damage to neurons. This ones are involved in processing serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in controlling learning, memory, mood and other functions. In several studies a brain region called the hippocampus, which is known to be involved in memory, it has been has particularly affected.

In spite of rhe low doses, the researchers found a statistically significant small drop in the ability of the volunteers to remember words. The test was reciting a list of 15 words and remembering this ones 20 minutes later.

The data really demonstrated that, even in low doses, ecstasy is associated with drop verbal memory function, due induced neurotoxicity, causing a depletion of serotonina.

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2095416,00.html#article_continue