Preliminary evidence of hippocampal damage in chronic users of ecstasy
Autor: | Frederik Barkhof, M.L.J. Schouw, Liesbeth Reneman, Henk Huisman, Paul F. C. Groot, Bjørnar den Hollander, Matthan W.A. Caan |
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Přispěvatelé: | Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam Public Health, Radiology and nuclear medicine, NCA - Neurodegeneration |
Rok vydání: | 2012 |
Předmět: |
Adult
Male medicine.medical_specialty Substance-Related Disorders N-Methyl-3 4-methylenedioxyamphetamine Ecstasy Hippocampus Neuroimaging Audiology Hippocampal formation Young Adult Atrophy Memory medicine Humans Psychiatry Hippocampal sclerosis Organ Size medicine.disease Control subjects Magnetic Resonance Imaging Cognitive test Psychiatry and Mental health Case-Control Studies Hippocampal volume Hallucinogens Surgery Neurology (clinical) Psychology |
Zdroj: | den Hollander, B, Schouw, M, Groot, P, Huisman, H, Caan, M, Barkhof, F & Reneman, L 2012, ' Preliminary evidence of hippocampal damage in chronic users of ecstasy ', Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, vol. 83, no. 1, pp. 83-85 . https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.2010.228387 Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry, 83(1), 83-85. BMJ Publishing Group Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 83(1), 83-85. BMJ Publishing Group |
ISSN: | 0022-3050 |
Popis: | Various studies have shown that ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) users display significant memory impairments, whereas their performance on other cognitive tests is generally normal. The hippocampus plays an essential role in short-term memory. There are, however, no structural human data on the effects of ecstasy on the hippocampus. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the hippocampal volume of chronic ecstasy users is reduced when compared with healthy polydrug-using controls, as an indicator of hippocampal damage. The hippocampus was manually outlined in volumetric MRI scans in 10 male ecstasy users (mean age 25.4 years) and seven healthy age- and gender-matched control subjects (21.3 years). Other than the use of ecstasy, there were no statistically significant differences between both groups in exposure to other drugs of abuse and alcohol. The ecstasy users were on average drug-free for more than 2 months and had used on average 281 tablets over the past six and a half years. The hippocampal volume in the ecstasy using group was on average 10.5% smaller than the hippocampal volume in the control group (p=0.032). These data provide preliminary evidence that ecstasy users may be prone to incurring hippocampal damage, in line with previous reports of acute hippocampal sclerosis and subsequent atrophy in chronic users of this drug. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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