Ecstasy, the Brain, and Serotonin (MIA) :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Ecstasy, the Brain, and Serotonin (MIA)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), or apotheosis, is a synthetic, psychoactive drug with comment and h totallyucinogenic properties. Ecstasy is an often talked ab bulge out drug due to its late popularity and rapid spread amongst teenagers especially. Many newspapers and magazines have featured articles in the onetime(prenominal) 5 years highlighting the danger of this easily made drug, and its uncontrolled wont in the club/rave scene of almost all Western countries. The complete effects of ecstasy are still unknown, although such(prenominal) research has been produced that shows the deleterious effects of the drug on the brain. Ecstasy is withal controversial because the content of pills varies widely buyers and sometimes sellers dont really know what all(prenominal) pill consists of (1). The results of a survey published in 2002 set out with the purpose of examining the prevalence and patterns of ecstasy use among college stude nts, and to determine characteristics, associated behaviors, and interests of ecstasy users. These results showed that from 1997-1999, ecstasy use increased importantly in every college subgroup except for noncompetitive schools. The variable most strongly associated with ecstasy use was piece to be marijuana. In terms of social context, MDMA users were more likely to legislate large amounts of time socializing, attend residential colleges, and belong to a fraternity or sorority. The first study that provided direct evidence that chronic use of ecstasy causes brain monetary value was published in 1999. The study employ advanced brain imaging techniques (PET scan) to show that MDMA harms nerve cells that release serotonin, a chemical that is thought to play an important role in memory, among different functions. The PET scans showed significant reductions in the number of serotonin transporters, the sites on neuron surfaces that reabsorb serotonin from the space between cells a fter it has completed its work. The unrelenting reduction of serotonin transporters occurred throughout the brain. This study and others suggest that brain damage and the amount of MDMA ingested are directly correlated (2). But what are the functional consequences?The functional consequences of ecstasy use have just begun to be explored in the past few years. Another study, published in 2000, found that heavy ecstasy users (30-1000 occasions) as opposed to non-ecstasy users, reported significantly higher(prenominal) scores on tests for somatisation, obsessionality, anxiety, hostility, phobic-anxiety, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, poor appetite, an restless or broken sleep. Another interesting effect of MDMA found was a significantly higher degree of impulsivity.