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Functional MRI study of working memory in MDMA users.

F Gerard Moeller1, Joel L Steinberg, Donald M Dougherty

  • 1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, 1300 Moursund, Houston, TX 77030, USA. frederick.g.moeller@uth.tmc.edu

Psychopharmacology
|June 29, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Individuals who use Methylene-dioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) show greater brain activation in areas related to working memory compared to controls. These findings in MDMA users align with observed behavioral issues and animal study results.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Neuroimaging

Background:

  • Methylene-dioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) use is linked to serotonin nerve terminal degeneration in animals.
  • Behavioral studies in human MDMA users reveal deficits in memory, mood, and impulse control.
  • Brain imaging studies in MDMA users have yielded inconsistent findings regarding brain function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate differences in brain activation during a working memory task between individuals with a history of MDMA use and non-users.
  • To utilize functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess brain activity patterns.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed on 15 MDMA users and 19 non-user controls.
  • Participants performed an immediate memory task (IMT) and a delayed memory task (DMT) in a block design.

Related Experiment Videos

  • fMRI scans were acquired using a 1.5 T scanner with a gradient echo echoplanar pulse sequence.

    • Main Results:

    • MDMA users exhibited significantly greater activation in the medial superior frontal gyrus, thalamus/putamen, and hippocampus during the DMT compared to controls.
    • Activation differences were analyzed using random effects SPM99.
    • Statistical significance was determined by whole volume corrected cluster P<0.05.

    Conclusions:

    • The observed brain activation patterns in MDMA users are consistent with documented behavioral problems associated with MDMA use.
    • Findings support animal studies demonstrating MDMA's effects on brain function.
    • Further research is needed to differentiate effects solely attributable to MDMA from those of co-used substances.