ECSTASY HURTS YOUR MEMORY

TORONTO - Long-term use of the popular club drug ecstasy damages "everyday"
memory, a pair of Toronto researchers reported.

The study is the first to follow a group of ecstasy users over time and it
shows an erosion in their episodic and prospective memory after a year,
co-author Konstantine Zakzanis, a professor of neuroscience and psychology
at the University of Toronto, said yesterday.

Episodic memory comes into play when, for instance, you try to recall an
item from a newscast viewed earlier in the day or relay a story you have
recently heard. Prospective memory is the recall you use when you need to
remember to do a task, such as set your alarm clock.

"We don't know whether or not there are any consequences of using it just a
few times. But we do know from our study that the more one uses it, the
greater probability that you will have some problems in terms of memory,"
Zakzanis said.

The study adds to a growing body of evidence that ecstasy, which has been
blamed for deaths in Canada, takes a neurological toll on users. It was
published in Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of
Neurology.

Ecstasy is the street name for methylenedioxymethamphetamine - also known
as MDMA - which providers users with a long lasting euphoric high by
stimulating brain activity.

"You could almost think of it as a Prozac multiplied by 100," he said,
referring to the popular anti-depressant.

Last month two British researchers reported at a meeting of the British
Psychological Society that ecstasy use may be linked to damage in the areas
of the brain that deal with planning and remembering daily activities.

- - CP