Is MDMA Present in Hair Samples Consistent with Reported Ecstasy Use?

Scholey, Andrew; Owen, Lauren; Gates, Justin; Rodgers, Jacqui; Buchanan, Tom; Heffernan, Tom; Swan, Pamela D.; Stough, Con; Parrott, Andrew C.

doi:10.2174/1874941001104010050

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 9 publications

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“…Firstly, drug-use and abstinence were self-reported by participants and so cannot be independently verified. However, research has reported that there is a high concordance between self-reported ecstasy use and the presence of MDMA in hair samples (Scholey et al, 2011), demonstrating the reliability of self-report by users as well as the presence of MDMA in pills. The current study also used the life-time drug-use interview, which uses contextual memory cues to facilitate more accurate reporting (Bedi and Redman, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of recreational MDMA ‘ecstasy’ use on global form processing

et al. 2014

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The ability to integrate local orientation information into a global form percept was investigated in long-term ecstasy users. Evidence suggests that ecstasy disrupts the serotonin system, with the visual areas of the brain being particularly susceptible. Previous research has found altered orientation processing in the primary visual area (V1) of users, thought to be due to disrupted serotonin-mediated lateral inhibition. The current study aimed to investigate whether orientation deficits extend to higher visual areas involved in global form processing. Forty-five participants completed a psychophysical (Glass pattern) study allowing an investigation into the mechanisms underlying global form processing and sensitivity to changes in the offset of the stimuli (jitter). A subgroup of polydrug-ecstasy users (n=6) with high ecstasy use had significantly higher thresholds for the detection of Glass patterns than controls (n=21, p=0.039) after Bonferroni correction. There was also a significant interaction between jitter level and drug-group, with polydrug-ecstasy users showing reduced sensitivity to alterations in jitter level (p=0.003). These results extend previous research, suggesting disrupted global form processing and reduced sensitivity to orientation jitter with ecstasy use. Further research is needed to investigate this finding in a larger sample of heavy ecstasy users and to differentiate the effects of other drugs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of recreational MDMA ‘ecstasy’ use on global form processing

et al. 2014

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Alterations to global but not local motion processing in long-term ecstasy (MDMA) users

2014

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These results extend on previous research investigating the long-term effects of illicit drugs on visual processing. Two possible explanations are explored: defuse attentional processes may be facilitating spatial pooling of motion signals in users. Alternatively, it may be that a GABA-mediated disruption to V5/MT processing is reducing spatial suppression and therefore improving global motion perception in ecstasy users.

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Is MDMA Present in Hair Samples Consistent with Reported Ecstasy Use?

Cited by 2 publications

References 9 publications

The impact of recreational MDMA ‘ecstasy’ use on global form processing

The impact of recreational MDMA ‘ecstasy’ use on global form processing

Alterations to global but not local motion processing in long-term ecstasy (MDMA) users

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