Cerebral (1)H MRS alterations in recreational 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") users.
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is an illicit drug that has been associated with serotonergic axonal degeneration in animals. This study evaluates neurochemical abnormalities in recreational MDMA users. Twenty-two MDMA users and 37 normal subjects were evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) in the mid-frontal, mid-occipital, and parietal brain regions. (1)H MRS showed normal N-acetyl (NA) compounds in all brain regions. The myo-inositol (MI) concentration (+16.3%, P = 0.04) and the MI to creatine (CR) ratio (+14.1%, P = 0. 01) were increased in the parietal white matter of MDMA users. The cumulative lifetime MDMA dose showed significant effects on [MI] in the parietal white matter and the occipital cortex. The normal NA concentration suggests a lack of significant neuronal injury in recreational MDMA users. However, the usage-related increase in MI suggests that exposure to MDMA, even at recreational doses, may cause increased glial content. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 1999;10:521-526.
Chang
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L
Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California 90502, USA. Linda_Chang@humc.edu
Ernst
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T
Grob
C S
CS
Poland
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RE
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002794:Choline / Q000032:analysis; D003401:Creatine / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006213:Hallucinogens / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007294:Inositol / Q000032:analysis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D006213:Hallucinogens; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D007294:Inositol; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine; D003401:Creatine; D002794:Choline