Pubdate: Fri, 27 Sep 2002
Source: Scientific American (US)
Copyright: 2002 Scientific American, Inc
Contact:  http://www.sciam.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/404
Author: Kate Wong

PARTY DRUG ECSTASY MAY CAUSE MORE WIDESPREAD BRAIN DAMAGE THAN PREVIOUSLY 
THOUGHT

Raising new concerns about use of the popular recreational drug ecstasy, or 
MDMA, scientists have found that just a few doses of the substance causes 
extensive damage to brain cells in monkeys. The findings, published today 
in the journal Science, suggest that using ecstasy may increase the risk of 
developing Parkinsonism - a condition similar to Parkinson's disease - 
later in life.

Earlier animal studies had shown that repeated ecstasy use damages the 
serotonin brain cells, which help to regulate mood and behavior. In the new 
work, Johns Hopkins University researchers working with squirrel monkeys 
and baboons found that two or three sequential doses of the drug-the amount 
typically taken by young adults at all-night "raves" - killed dopamine 
neurons, which are involved in controlling movement, emotional and 
cognitive responses and the ability to feel pleasure. Indeed, some 60 to 80 
percent of the dopaminergic nerve endings in a region of the brain known as 
the striatum were destroyed after just one multi-dose regimen. (In the 
image above, the depletion of dopamine binding sites is indicated by the 
increase in blues and greens seen in the scan on the right compared to the 
one on the left.)

In humans, once damage to these nerve endings crosses a certain threshold, 
leading to an 80 to 90 percent loss of brain dopamine, Parkinsonism 
typically occurs. If ecstasy damages dopamine neurons in humans the way it 
does in monkeys, team member George A. Ricaurte says, Parkinsonism could 
develop years after taking the drug because brain dopamine declines with 
age. "The message seems clear," he adds. "The neurotoxic potential of MDMA 
is high, and use of several sequential recreational doses could have 
serious, long-term consequences."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D