title: Dysfunctional overnight memory consolidation in ecstasy users.
abstract: Sleep plays an important role in the consolidation and integration of memory in a process called overnight memory consolidation. Previous studies indicate that ecstasy users have marked and persistent neurocognitive and sleep-related impairments. We extend past research by examining overnight memory consolidation among regular ecstasy users (n=12) and drug naïve healthy controls (n=26). Memory recall of word pairs was evaluated before and after a period of sleep, with and without interference prior to testing. In addition, we assessed neurocognitive performances across tasks of learning, memory and executive functioning. Ecstasy users demonstrated impaired overnight memory consolidation, a finding that was more pronounced following associative interference. Additionally, ecstasy users demonstrated impairments on tasks recruiting frontostriatal and hippocampal neural circuitry, in the domains of proactive interference memory, long-term memory, encoding, working memory and complex planning. We suggest that ecstasy-associated dysfunction in fronto-temporal circuitry may underlie overnight consolidation memory impairments in regular ecstasy users.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Smithies
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Jillian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Broadbear
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verdejo-Garcia
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia russell.conduit@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Russell
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Conduit
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D055030:Drug Users / Q000523:psychology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D000069077:Memory Consolidation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine
keywords: Methylenedioxymethamphetamine; cognition; ecstasy; executive function; frontal lobe; hippocampus; memory; serotonin; sleep