Ecstasy (MDMA) does not have long-term effects on aggressive interpretative bias: A study comparing current and ex-ecstasy users with polydrug and drug-naive controls.

±3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) remains a widely used recreational drug, which, in animals, can produce long-lasting changes to the brain's serotonergic system. As serotonin has been implicated in human aggression, it is possible that ecstasy users are at risk of increased aggression even after prolonged abstention from the drug. The objective of this study was to indirectly assess aggression in current and abstinent ecstasy users using an information-processing paradigm that measures cognitive bias toward material with aggressive content. The task employed has previously shown increased aggressive bias 3-4 days after ecstasy use. An interpretative bias task was administered to 105 male participants: 26 ex-ecstasy users, 25 current ecstasy users, 29 polydrug using controls, and 25 drug-naive controls. Accuracy and response times to process and recognize ambiguous sentences were tested. There were no group differences in aggressive interpretative bias. All 4 groups processed neutral sentences faster than aggressive sentences and were subsequently faster and more confident in recognizing neutral compared with aggressive sentences. Further, self-ratings of aggression also showed no group differences, even though self-rated impulsivity was significantly higher in current ecstasy users than in drug-naive controls. The findings that all groups were biased toward neutral and away from aggressive interpretations of ambiguous sentences add to the existing body of knowledge in suggesting that increased aggression found in ecstasy users a few days after taking the drug is a transient phenomenon and not a long-term, persisting effect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Syllogistic Reasoning Performance in MDMA (Ecstasy) Users.

Previous research has demonstrated working memory and executive deficits in recreational users of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; Ecstasy). In turn, both of these constructs have been implicated in syllogistic reasoning performance. Twenty-two MDMA users (mean age=21.36) and 26 MDMA nonuser controls (mean age=21.31) were tested on syllogisms of varying difficulty and on measures of working memory and executive functioning. MDMA users were significantly impaired in aspects of syllogistic reasoning, and the effect remained significant after the authors controlled for the use of other drugs. However, the MDMA-related variance was reduced to below statistical significance following control for group differences in working memory span. The results are consistent with the possibility that MDMA-related deficits in aspects of executive functioning result in impaired reasoning performance among MDMA users. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of the effect of EMLA and semicircular subcutaneous anaesthesia in the prevention of tourniquet pain during plexus block anaesthesia of the arm

The present study examined resting heart rate variability (HRV; an index of parasympathetic tone) and heart rate response to the Valsalva maneuver (Valsalva ratio; an index of overall autonomic responsiveness) in 12 repeat users of 3.4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy"), and a matched comparison group of presumed nonusers. HRV and Valsalva ratio were smaller in users than in controls. Three out of 12 MDMA users but no controls had Valsalva ratios below 1.50, the cut-off for autonomic dysfunction. In several users, there was a total absence of post-Valsalva release bradycardia. All MDMA users were polydrug users. Parasympathetic cardiovascular tone appears impaired in repeat MDMA users, although the ubiquitous problems in such epidemiologic designs (including lack of testing before the first use of the drug and confounding with use of other drugs) preclude definitive causal interpretations.     

The significance of microabscesses in liver transplant biopsies: a clinicopathological study

BACKGROUND: Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, or "Ecstasy") is a popular recreational drug of abuse that is known to damage brain serotonergic neurons in animals and possibly humans. Few functional consequences of MDMA-induced serotonin (5-HT) neurotoxicity have been identified, either in animals or humans. This study sought to determine whether individuals with a history of extensive MDMA use showed evidence of memory impairment, because brain serotonin has been implicated in mnemonic function. METHOD: The authors compared 24 abstinent MDMA users and 24 control subjects on several standardized tests of memory, after matching subjects for age, gender, educational level, and vocabulary score (a surrogate of verbal intelligence). The authors also explored correlations between changes in memory function and decrements in CSF 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), which serves as a marker of central 5-HT neural function. RESULTS: Greater use of MDMA (total milligrams per month) was associated with greater impairment in immediate verbal memory (p < 0.02) and delayed visual memory (p < 0.06). Furthermore, lower vocabulary scores were associated with stronger dose-related effects, with men having greater dose-related deficits than women. Lastly, lower concentrations of CSF 5-HIAA were associated with poorer memory performance. CONCLUSION: Abstinent MDMA users have impairment in verbal and visual memory. The extent of memory impairment correlates with the degree of MDMA exposure and the reduction in brain 5-HT, as indexed by CSF 5-HIAA.     

The association between the negative effects attributed to ecstasy use and measures of cognition and mood among users.

In self reports, abstinent ecstasy/polydrug users claim that they experience certain ongoing affective and psychological changes including elevated anxiety, arousal, and depression. In addition, various aspects of cognition (e.g., everyday memory, reasoning, executive functioning) appear to be affected. The present paper investigated the link between these two psychological sequelae. Ninety-five ecstasy/polydrug users completed tests of reasoning, intelligence, information processing speed, executive functioning, and everyday memory. Affect was measured via a mood adjective checklist. Adverse effects attributed to ecstasy were measured via responses to adjectives reflecting changes in users since they started using the drug. In addition, indicators of sleep quality and daytime sleepiness were obtained. Users attributed a number of adverse effects to ecstasy, namely heightened irritability, depression, paranoia, and deteriorating health. Adverse effects were significantly and negatively correlated with aspects of intelligence, everyday memory, and sleep quality. Length of use of ecstasy use was positively correlated with adverse effects. While many users attribute a number of adverse affects to their use of ecstasy, it remains unclear whether these self-perceptions are a corollary of the psychopharmacological effects of the drug or reflect factors which in fact predate its use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Positron emission tomographic evidence of toxic effect of MDMA ("Ecstasy") on brain serotonin neurons in human beings

BACKGROUND: (+/-)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") is a popular recreational drug that selectively damages brain serotonin (5-HT) neurons in animals at doses that closely approach those used by humans. We investigated the status of brain 5-HT neurons in MDMA users. METHODS: We enrolled 14 previous users of MDMA who were currently abstaining from use and 15 controls who had never used MDMA. We used positron emission tomography (PET) with the radioligand carbon-11-labelled McN-5652, which selectively labels the 5-HT transporter. We analysed whether there were differences in 5-HT transporter binding between abstinent MDMA users and participants in the control group. Blood and urine samples were taken and tested to check for abstinence. FINDINGS: MDMA users showed decreased global and regional brain 5-HT transporter binding compared with controls. Decreases in 5-HT transporter binding positively correlated with the extent of previous MDMA use. INTERPRETATION: Quantitative PET studies with a ligand selective for 5-HT transporters can be used to assess the status of 5-HT neurons in the living human brain. We show direct evidence of a decrease in a structural component of brain 5-HT neurons in human MDMA users.     

Places and patterns of drug use in the Scottish dance scene

Interviews were conducted with 135 participants in the Glasgow dance (rave) scene. Drug use in this group was varied and not merely restricted to drugs associated with dance events, such as MDMA (Ecstasy). The setting in which each drug was used varied greatly. Amphetamine, nitrites and Ecstasy were the drugs most commonly used at dance events. Pharmaceuticals were least likely to be used in such settings. However, some drugs, such as Temazepam, were sometimes used prior to or after attending rave events. It is suggested that dance drug users are polydrug users who use drugs in a setting specific fashion. As such it would be wrong to classify such users solely on the grounds of their very visible behaviour in the public arena (at dance events). Other forms of substance use engaged in by this group may have a greater potential for harm than that seen at raves. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Deficits of Organizational Strategy and Visual Memory in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

This study was conducted to investigate the deficits of organizational strategy and visual memory in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Thirty OCD patients and 30 healthy controls aged 20-35 years participated. The Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, and Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) test were administered to participants. The authors scored ROCF performances using the Boston Qualitative Scoring System. The OCD patients showed poorer planning ability and higher fragmentation than did healthy controls when copying the ROCF, and they showed even poorer performances in the immediate and delayed recall conditions. The authors found that the Organization score in the copy condition mediated the difference between the OCD group and the healthy group in immediate recall. The direct effect of diagnosis (OCD or healthy) on the immediate recall condition of the ROCF was also significant. This study indicates that people with OCD have poor memory function and organizational deficits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trends in ecstasy use in the United States from 1995 to 2001: Comparison with marijuana users and association with other drug use.

This study aims to estimate changes in the prevalence of ecstasy use over time, analyze the overlap of ecstasy use and other drug use, and compare other drug use in ecstasy versus marijuana users. The authors hypothesized that ecstasy users early in the "epidemic" would be polydrug users and that associations between ecstasy and other drug use would diminish as the prevalence of ecstasy use increased. Data were drawn from public use data files from the 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Ecstasy use increased in the U.S. population and the prevalence was greater in younger age groups. Ecstasy users were likely to use a variety of other drugs; however, association of ecstasy use with other drug use was strongest early in the "epidemic," diminishing as the number of new users increased. Later, more drug-naive adolescents and young adults began experimenting with ecstasy. These results can orient prevention strategies that target ecstasy users. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recent-onset ecstasy use: Association with deviant behaviors and psychiatric comorbidity.

Background: Despite increases in ecstasy (MDMA) use in the United States, little is known about characteristics linked with recent-onset ecstasy use, especially psychiatric symptoms and deviant behaviors. Aims: To test whether individuals with high levels of other drug use are more likely to be recent-onset ecstasy users; to test whether psychiatric symptoms in adults are associated with recent-onset ecstasy use; to explore the association between recent-onset ecstasy use and concomitant deviant behaviors in adolescents and adults. Methods: Data from the 2001 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Findings: Recent-onset ecstasy use was significantly more likely to occur among adolescents and adults (18-34 years old) who engaged in deviant behaviors during the past year as compared with those who did not engage in deviant behaviors during the past year. Higher levels of deviancy indicated a higher likelihood of being a recent-onset ecstasy user, and associations were strongest with nonviolent deviant behaviors such as selling illegal drugs and stealing. Associations between deviant behaviors and recent-onset ecstasy use were similar in strength to associations between deviant behaviors and recent-onset cocaine and marijuana use, respectively. Adults who had past-year psychiatric symptoms (both depressive and panic symptoms) were twice as likely to be recent-onset ecstasy users as compared with those without past-year psychiatric symptoms. Greater levels of drug involvement increased the odds of being a recent-onset ecstasy user. Conclusion: Recent-onset ecstasy use seems to be associated with a range of other behavioral problems and may reflect one aspect of a larger problem behavior syndrome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contextual variability and serial position effects in free recall.

In immediate free recall, words recalled successively tend to come from nearby serial positions. M. J. Kahana (see record 1996-93836-009) documented this effect and showed that this tendency, which the authors refer to as the lag recency effect, is well described by a variant of the search of associative memory (SAM) model (J. G. W. Raaijmakers & R. M. Shiffrin, 1980, 1981). In 2 experiments, participants performed immediate, delayed, and continuous distractor free recall under conditions designed to minimize rehearsal. The lag recency effect, previously observed in immediate free recall, was also observed in delayed and continuous distractor free recall. Although two-store memory models, such as SAM, readily account for the end-of-list recency effect in immediate free recall, and its attenuation in delayed free recall, these models fail to account for the long-term recency effect. By means of analytic simulations, the authors show that both the end of list recency effect and the lag recency effect, across all distractor conditions, can be explained by a single-store model in which context, retrieved with each recalled item, serves as a cue for subsequent recalls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Associative relatedness enhances recall and produces false memories in immediate serial recall.

The influence of permanent lexical network in immediate serial recall is well established. The corresponding influence of permanent semantic networks is less clear, although such networks are known to both facilitate memory in long-term memory tasks and to produce false memories in those same tasks. The current experiment involves the study of Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) lists for immediate serial recall. The trials in the experiment involved presenting the six strongest items from the DRM lists either in intact associatively related lists or where those items had been randomly mixed to produce unrelated lists. The results of the experiment indicated that the associatively related lists were better recalled in order than unrelated lists and the nonpresented critical lure was falsely recalled relatively frequently. The results of the experiment confirm the importance of associative semantic networks in short-term memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use of source memory to identity one's own episodic confusion errors.

In 4 category cued recall experiments, falsely recalled nonlist common members, a semantic confusion error participants. Errors were more likely if critical nonlist words were presented on an incidental task, causing source memory failures called episodic confusion errors . Participants could better identify the source of falsely recalled words if they had deeply processed the words on the incidental task. For deep but not shallow processing, participants could reliably include or exclude incidentally shown category members in recall. The illusion that critical items actually appeared on categorized lists was diminished but not eradicated when participants identified episodic confusion errors post hoc among their own recalled responses; participants often believed that critical items had been on both the incidental task and the study list. Improved source monitoring can potentially mitigate episodic (but not semantic) confusion errors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age deficits in recall under optimal study conditions.

Young and older adults studied lists of words under both standard and optimal study conditions for subsequent free recall. Under optimal conditions, the participants studied each word for as long as they wished, were allowed to take notes, and were encouraged to actively use whatever strategies they thought would maximize recall. Both age groups recalled more words under optimal study conditions than under standard conditions, but the improvement was greater for the young adults. This increase in the age-related recall deficit was not due to differences in study time. The results suggest that standard laboratory memory tasks do not overestimate the memory deficits of older adults because of a failure to provide either optimal learning conditions or sufficient study time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Short-term memory for serial order in schizophrenia: A detailed examination of error types.

Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia have been associated with working memory problems. Schizophrenic patients (n?=?24) and controls (n?=?29) participated in simple short-term memory tasks, recalling a list of letters from the first to last item in the order of presentation. The authors hypothesized that deficient sequential representations would increase movement errors (e.g., ABCD being recalled as ABDC) or intrusion errors (e.g., ABCD being recalled as ABCX), whereas simple trace decay would lead to omission errors (e.g., ABCD being recalled as ABC_). Patients made disproportionately more omissions toward the end of 6-item lists. There were no group differences in movements or intrusions as a function of serial position. Schizophrenic patients' limited short-term memory span may be due to greater forgetting during recall and not to a selective deficit in the mechanisms responsible for maintaining serial order information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Memory illusions: False recall and recognition in adults with Asperger's syndrome": Correction to Bowler et al. (2000).

Reports an error in "Memory illusions: False recall and recognition in adults with Asperger's syndrome" by Dermot M. Bowler, John M. Gardiner, Sarah Grice and Pia Saavalainen (Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2000[Nov], Vol 109[4], 663-672). On page 665, Figure 1, the figure caption incorrectly reads, "Serial position effects for the Asperger and control groups of participants. Gray boxes = Asperger; black boxes = controls." The correct Figure 1 caption appears in the correction. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2000-12687-011.) As persons on the autistic spectrum are known not to use semantic features of word lists to aid recall, they might show diminished susceptibility to illusory memories that typically occur with lists of associated items. Alternatively, since such individuals also have poor source monitoring, they might show greater susceptibility. The authors found that adults with Asperger's syndrome (n?=?10) recalled similar proportions of a nonpresented strong associate of the study list items, compared with controls (n?=?15). In Exp 2, rates of true and false recognition of study list associates did not differ significantly between Asperger (n?=?10) and control (n?=?10) participants. Moreover, the Asperger participants made fewer remember and more know judgments than controls for veridical but not for false recognitions. Thus, deficits found in some aspects of memory in people with Asperger's syndrome do not affect their susceptibility to memory illusions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Well, slap my thigh: Expression of surprise facilitates memory of surprising material.

Two studies examined the general prediction that one's emotional expression should facilitate memory for material that matches the expression. The authors focused on specific facial expressions of surprise. In the first study, participants who were mimicking a surprised expression showed better recall for the surprising words and worse recall for neutral words, relative to those who were mimicking a neutral expression. Study 2 replicated the results of Study 1, showing that participants who mimicked a surprised expression recalled more words spoken in a surprising manner compared with those that sounded neutral or sad. Conversely, participants who mimicked sad facial expressions showed greater recall for sad than neutral or surprising words. The results provide evidence of the importance of matching the emotional valence of the recall content to the facial expression of the recaller during the memorization period. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

With development, list recall includes more chunks, not just larger ones.

The nature of the childhood development of immediate recall has been difficult to determine. There could be a developmental increase in either the number of chunks held in working memory or the use of grouping to make the most of a constant capacity. In 3 experiments with children in the early elementary school years and adults, we show that improvements in the immediate recall of word and picture lists come partly from increases in the number of chunks of items retained in memory. This finding was based on a distinction between access to a studied group of items (i.e., recall of at least 1 item from the group) and completion of the accessed group (i.e., the proportion of the items recalled from the group). Access rates increased with age, even with statistical controls for completion rates, implicating development of capacity in chunks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Feeling of knowing in episodic memory following moderate to severe closed-head injury.

The ability to accurately monitor one's memory is a metacognitive process that is important in everyday life. The authors examined episodic memory feeling-of-knowing (FOK) ratings in 21 moderate to severe closed-head injury (CHI) participants (more than 1 year postinjury) and 21 controls. Participants studied 36 critical cue-target word pairs. Following a brief delay, they were asked to recall the target that corresponded to a given cue. Confidence ratings were made for recalled words, and FOK judgments were made for nonrecalled words in terms of the likelihood of recognizing the target word on a subsequent recognition test. CHI participants demonstrated less accurate recall but accurate ability to judge their recall performance (retrospective memory monitoring). They also demonstrated intact FOK judgments when providing binary judgments but demonstrated difficulties making finer discriminations on an ordinal scale (prospective memory monitoring). These findings suggest that memory monitoring is not a unitary construct. It is proposed that CHI participants may display intact memory monitoring when predictions are based on familiarity assessment but not when continued probing for additional episodic information is required. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selective deficits in reflective cognition of polydrug abusers: Preliminary findings.

The goal of this study was to determine if drug abusers exhibited specific deficits in reflective cognition similar to that observed in detoxified alcoholics who were otherwise cognitively intact. Fifteen drug abusers and 15 non-drug-abusing control participants were administered a series of cognitive tests, which assessed various learning and memory functions. Drug abusers did not differ from controls with respect to most cognitive domains. However, drug abusers exhibited selective deficits in processing unstructured information and in inhibiting intrusion errors during word recall. Such deficits in reflective functioning may play a role in the initiation of drug use or maintenance of drug dependence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)