title: The acute effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine and methamphetamine on driving: a simulator study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Illicit drugs such as MDMA and methamphetamine are commonly abused drugs that have also been observed to be prevalent in drivers injured in road accidents. Their exact effect on driving and driving behavior has yet to be thoroughly investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-one abstinent recreational users of illicit drugs comprised the participant sample, with 33 females and 28 males, mean age 25.45 years. The three testing sessions involved oral consumption of 100 mg MDMA, 0.42 mg/kg methamphetamine, or a matching placebo. The drug administration was counter-balanced, double-blind, and medically supervised. At each session driving performance was assessed 3 h and 24 h post drug administration on a computerized driving simulator.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At peak concentration overall impairment scores for driving (F(2,118)=9.042, p<0.001) and signaling (F(2,118)=4.060, p=0.020) were significantly different for the daytime simulations. Performance in the MDMA condition was worse than both the methamphetamine (p=0.023) and placebo (p<0.001) conditions and the methamphetamine condition was also observed to be worse in comparison to the placebo (p=0.055). For signaling adherence, poorer signaling adherence occurred in both the methamphetamine (p=0.006) and MDMA (p=0.017) conditions in comparison to placebo in the daytime simulations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study have for the first time illustrated how both MDMA and methamphetamine effect driving performance, and provide support for legislation regarding testing for the presence of illicit drugs in impaired or injured drivers as deterrents for driving under the influence of illicit drugs.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. cstough@gmail.com
authors.forename: Con
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stough
authors.forename: Luke A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Downey
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Papafotiou
authors.forename: Phillip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Swann
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ogden
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D007600:Judgment / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate / Q000502:physiology; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D012449:Safety; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008694:Methamphetamine; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine