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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Rapid In Situ Hybridization using Oligonucleotide Probes on Paraformaldehyde-prefixed Brain of Rats with Serotonin Syndrome
Published on: September 23, 2015
Memory disturbances in "Ecstasy" users are correlated with an altered brain serotonin neurotransmission
L Reneman1, J Booij, B Schmand
1Graduate School of Neurosciences, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. l.reneman@amc.uva.nl
Rationale:
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is known to damage brain pre-synaptic serotonin (5-HT) neurons. Since loss of 5-HT neurons has been implicated in memory loss, it is important to establish whether MDMA use may produce changes in postsynaptic 5-HT receptors and memory function in humans.
Objectives:
To investigate whether MDMA use leads to compensative alterations in post-synaptic 5-HT2A receptors and whether there is a relation with memory disturbances.
Methods:
Brain cortical 5-HT2A receptor densities were studied with [123I]-5-I-R91150 SPECT in five abstinent MDMA users and nine healthy controls. Memory performance was assessed using RAVLT.
Results:
[123I]-5-I-R91150 binding ratios were significantly higher in the occipital cortex of MDMA users than in controls, indicating up-regulation. Mean cortical 5-HT2A receptor binding correlated positively with RAVLT-recall in MDMA users.
Conclusion:
Our preliminary results may indicate altered 5-HT neuronal function with correlated memory impairment in abstinent MDMA users.
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