ECSTASY 'ERASES MEMORY'

UP to one million people estimated to take the drug ecstasy are risking
irreversible damage to their memories, according to research published today.

The study showed that people using ecstasy at least once a month had
significantly worse working memories than those who had never taken the
drug. Working memory is the part of the brain used by someone to store
information such as a new telephone number while they are looking for a pen
to write it down.

The deterioration in mental powers is most noticeable at times of pressure
and lasts for at least six months after the user stops taking the drug, the
researchers found. The finding, published in the British Journal of
Psychology, adds to the mounting evidence that ecstasy may cause long-term
damage to the brain.

Previous studies have shown that the drug decreases levels of the
neuro-transmitter serotonin in the brain and damages nerve endings. Lowered
serotonin levels have been linked to increased risk of depression and
dementia in later life.

A team of psychologists, led by Michelle Wareing of Edge Hill College in
Ormskirk, Lancs, tested the working memories of 30 students - 10 who
admitted to taking at least one ecstasy pill a month, 10 former users and
10 who had never taken the drug. When they were asked to perform mental
tasks against the clock, the drug users and former users did significantly
worse.

*Jetlag can slow reactions and harm memory as well as causing sleep
disturbance, according to a Durham University study. Flight attendants who
crossed time zones on a weekly basis made more mistakes and took longer to
respond when asked to match a series of pictures. Those who had more than
four years of exposure to jetlag were particularly affected.