PMID- 14643939
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20040422
LR  - 20191210
IS  - 0376-8716 (Print)
IS  - 0376-8716 (Linking)
VI  - 72
IP  - 3
DP  - 2003 Dec 11
TI  - Reduced cortical gray matter density in human MDMA (Ecstasy) users: a voxel-based 
      morphometry study.
PG  - 225-35
AB  - The popular recreational drug, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) exerts 
      its actions in part via blockade of serotonin and dopamine reuptake. Many animal 
      and human studies have demonstrated long-lasting reductions in measures of 
      central nervous system (CNS) serotonin function following MDMA administration. 
      One emerging role of serotonin function in the CNS is a positive trophic effect 
      via stimulation of intracellular signaling pathways and trophic factors. We 
      hypothesized that human MDMA users might display neocortical gray matter 
      reductions due to loss of serotonergically mediated trophic effects on cortical 
      cells. However, unlike animal models, most human MDMA users worldwide are 
      polydrug users, thereby complicating the assessment of MDMA toxicity in this 
      group. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 31 MDMA polydrug 
      users versus 29 non-MDMA users were compared using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) 
      to assess regional brain gray and white matter concentration. VBM employs 
      gray/white matter segmentation and statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis 
      to calculate a voxel-wise comparison of regional gray or white matter 
      concentration. Using this method, we consistently found several brain regions 
      having decreased gray matter concentration in MDMA polydrug users. These regions 
      were localized to neocortex in bilateral Brodmann area (BA) 18, left BA 21, and 
      left BA 45, as well as bilateral cerebellum, and midline brainstem. Overall, 
      these preliminary findings suggest that MDMA polydrug users have multiple regions 
      of gray matter reduction, potentially accounting for previously reported 
      neuropsychiatric impairments in MDMA users. Additional animal model and human 
      studies of the CNS effects of MDMA and combined MDMA-polydrug toxicity are needed 
      to further explain these findings. Potential explanations for our results 
      including pre-existing brain differences predisposing to MDMA polydrug use, 
      direct MDMA and polydrug toxicity, indirect changes due to MDMA and polydrug 
      toxicity, or combinations of all these factors.
FAU - Cowan, Ronald L
AU  - Cowan RL
AD  - Brain Imaging Center, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical 
      School, Belmont, MA 02478, USA. ronald.l.cowan@vanderbilt.edu
FAU - Lyoo, In Kyoon
AU  - Lyoo IK
FAU - Sung, Seung Mo
AU  - Sung SM
FAU - Ahn, Kyung Heup
AU  - Ahn KH
FAU - Kim, Minue J
AU  - Kim MJ
FAU - Hwang, Jaeuk
AU  - Hwang J
FAU - Haga, Erika
AU  - Haga E
FAU - Vimal, Ram Lakhan Panday
AU  - Vimal RL
FAU - Lukas, Scott E
AU  - Lukas SE
FAU - Renshaw, Perry F
AU  - Renshaw PF
LA  - eng
GR  - DA00343/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - DA00366/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - DA03994/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - DA09448/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - DA14178/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - DA15116/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PT  - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
PL  - Ireland
TA  - Drug Alcohol Depend
JT  - Drug and alcohol dependence
JID - 7513587
RN  - 0 (Illicit Drugs)
RN  - 333DO1RDJY (Serotonin)
RN  - KE1SEN21RM (N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adolescent
MH  - Adult
MH  - Brain Mapping/instrumentation
MH  - Cerebral Cortex/*pathology
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Illicit Drugs/adverse effects
MH  - Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/instrumentation
MH  - Male
MH  - Memory Disorders/*chemically induced
MH  - N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine/*adverse effects
MH  - Serotonin/*metabolism
MH  - Substance-Related Disorders/pathology
EDAT- 2003/12/04 05:00
MHDA- 2004/04/23 05:00
CRDT- 2003/12/04 05:00
PHST- 2003/12/04 05:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2004/04/23 05:00 [medline]
PHST- 2003/12/04 05:00 [entrez]
AID - S037687160300231X [pii]
AID - 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2003.07.001 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Drug Alcohol Depend. 2003 Dec 11;72(3):225-35. doi: 
      10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2003.07.001.