RECREATIONAL USE OF ECSTASY (MDMA) IS ASSOCIATED WITH ELEVATED IMPULSIVITY

Recent preclinical evidence suggests that repeated exposure to 3, 4-me thylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA; ''ecstasy'') produces long-term re ductions in serotonin (5-HT) levels. 5-HT has been implicated in the r egulation of mood, anxiety, aggression, impulsivity, and cognition. Ac cordingly, in the first of two separate studies, these variables were investigated irt three groups: (1) MDMA group-recreational ecstasy use rs (who also used other illicit substances); (2) polydrug controls-who had never taken Ecstasy, bur otherwise had drug histories and persona l characteristics similar to the ecstasy users; and (3) nondrug contro ls-who had never used illicit drugs, but had similar personal characte ristics. All participants completed mood (Likert) scales, personality questionnaires (which included the impulsiveness, venturesomeness and empathy questionnaire-IVE), spatial span and ''Tower of London'' (TOL) tests, and a behavioral measure of impulsivity, the matching familiar figures test (MFF20). There were no group differences in mood, anxiet y, anger/hostility, and cognitive performance, but the MDMA group comm itted significantly more errors in the MFF20. Subsequently, a larger s ample of participants were administered mood (the General Health Quest ionnaire or GHQ) and personality (IVE) questionnaires before the admin istration of a TOL test, followed by the MFF20, and a second TOL rest. Although there were no group differences in TOL performance, ecstasy users were again found to commit more errors in the MFF20 than polydru g users. Furthermore, the GHQ and IVE scores of the ecstasy users in t he second study indicated, respectively, that they were more psycholog ically disturbed and impulsive than nondrug controls. The combined dat a from the two studies indicated that ecstasy users exhibited elevated impulsivity on both self-report and behavioral measures and that thos e who had taken the most ecstasy had the most elevated trait impulsive less scores. These findings are consistent with previous evidence that elevated levels of impulsivity in humans are associated with reduced levels of serotonergic function. (C) 1998 American College of Neuropsy chopharmacology. Published by Elsevier Science Inc.