Ecstasy Use Depletes Brain's
Serotonin Levels
Monday, July 24, 2000
TORONTO, ON -- Use of the recreational drug Ecstasy causes a severe
reduction in the amount of serotonin in the brain, according to a study
in the July 25 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the
American Academy of Neurology.
The
study examined the brain of a 26-year-old man who had died of a drug overdose.
He had been using Ecstasy for nine years, and in the last months of his
life had also started using cocaine and heroin. His brain was compared
to those from autopsies of 11 healthy people.
"The
levels of serotonin and another chemical associated with serotonin were
50 to 80 percent lower in the brain of the Ecstasy user," said study
author Stephen Kish, PhD, of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. "This is the
first study to show that this drug can deplete the level of serotonin
in humans."
Ecstasy,
which is known chemically as methylenedioxymeth- amphetamine, or MDMA,
is structurally related to the hallucinogen mescaline and the stimulant
amphetamine. MDMA causes neurons, or nerve cells, to release serotonin,
a neurotransmitter that controls mood, pain perception, sleep, appetite
and emotions. Ecstasy users report an increased awareness of emotion and
a heightened sense of intimacy.
"Some of the behavioral effects of this drug are probably due to
the massive release and depletion of serotonin," Kish said. "And
the depression that people feel after going off the drug could also be
explained by the depletion of serotonin in the brain."
The
low levels of serotonin were found in the striatal area of the brain,
which plays a key role in coordinating movement. In addition to serotonin,
the level of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, also known as 5-HIAA and a major
breakdown product of serotonin, was also low in the brain of the Ecstasy
user.
"Of
course, these findings should be confirmed through additional studies,"
Kish said. "Conclusions based on a single case can only be tentative."
The
man started using Ecstasy once a month at age 17. His usage increased,
and in the last three years of his life he used it four to five nights
a week at "rave" clubs, usually including a three-day weekend
binge during which he took six to eight tablets. On the day after these
binges, his friends said he appeared depressed and had slow speech, movement
and reaction time.
Researchers
confirmed the man's drug use through analysis of his brain, blood and
hair. The analysis also confirmed that he had been using cocaine and heroin
in the last months of his life. Kish said other research has shown that
those drugs do not affect serotonin levels.
Kish
said research should also be done to determine whether increasing serotonin
levels in people who are going off the drug would help eliminate some
of the behavioral problems that occur during withdrawal.
The
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is Canada's largest centre in the
area of mental health and addictions. A World Health Organization Centre
of Excellence and a teaching hospital fully affiliated with the University
of Toronto, the Centre was established in 1998 through the merger of the
Addiction Research Foundation, the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, the
Donwood Institute and the Queen Street Mental Health Centre.
The
American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 16,500 neurologists
and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care
through education and research.
This
study was funded in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
- CONTACT:
- Chris Hendry
CAMH Public Affairs
(416) 979-4250
Chris_Hendry@camh.net
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1-800-463-6273
