Proof positive Taking Ecstasy permanently alters your brain

The first formal studies using brain scans show that regular Ecstasy users
are permanently changing their brains. Isn't that bad news? Well, maybe,
maybe not: our brains might take it in their stride, just as they do so
much else. Charles Arthur, Science Editor, looks at the implications.

The brain scans are unequivocal. For the first time, scientists have
demonstrated that longterm users of the "rave drug" Ecstasy are
permanently altering their brains. The tough question now is, are they
actually damaging them?

Though the effects of the changes could take years or even decades to show
up, it is potentially serious news for the UK's estimated 500,000 regular
"E" users, who each take one or two tablets every weekend. If the brain
cannot compensate for the changes caused by the drug, the longterm effects
could include widespread depression and even suicide.

That is because Ecstasy affects the production of a chemical that modulates
how happy we feel. In effect, repeated use might leave the brain drained of
that chemical. But scientists are still debating whether, over time, our
most adaptable organ might make allowances even for that change.

The latest research by George Ricaurte, assistant professor of neurology at
Johns Hopkins University, used positron emission tomography (PET) scanners,
which can produce detailed images of active areas of the brain, to study
two groups, each of 14 recreational drugs users.

The first group used Ecstasy and other drugs; the others used drugs
excluding Ecstasy. Though small, the number is sufficient to pinpoint
differences between groups using PET.

Dr Ricaurte examined the peoples' brains to evaluate the activity of the
millions of brain synapses which release a neurotransmitter called
serotonin the "happiness chemical". The control subjects had normal
levels of serotonin activity. The Ecstasy users, though, showed
deficiencies in all brain regions.

Una McCann, one of the team members, told New Scientist magazine that this
is clear evidence that Ecstasy damages serotoningenerating synapses: "The
message is that if you're going to use it, do it in moderation."

But David Concar, the deputy editor of New Scientist and a PhD in
biochemistry, pointed out last night that the case against Ecstasy may not
be so clearcut. "The really tricky point about this is whether you call
these changes 'damage', or whether they are chemical responses to the drug
which would in time reverse themselves." A scientist for the US
Environmental Protection Agency commented that "there's no evidence of
structural damage".

The kneejerk reaction by drug opponents would be to point to this study as
definitive evidence that Ecstasy does damage. Earlier studies using
questionnaires have shown, though less convincingly than PET scans, that
regular users of Ecstasy tend to be more depressed than nonusers.

But that is not incontrovertible evidence of permanent damage. The human
brain repeatedly demonstrates that it is capable of withstanding massive
amounts of damage and rebuilding itself: people who have sufffered even
serious strokes often regain many faculties, demonstrating that even real
damage in which neurons actually die can be overcome.