PMID- 16782178
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20061005
LR  - 20131121
IS  - 0091-3057 (Print)
IS  - 0091-3057 (Linking)
VI  - 84
IP  - 2
DP  - 2006 Jun
TI  - MDMA use is associated with increased spatial BOLD fMRI visual cortex activation 
      in human MDMA users.
PG  - 219-28
AB  - Previous animal studies have demonstrated that 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine 
      (MDMA) exposure causes serotonin axotomy that is greatest in occipital cortex 
      (including primary visual cortex) where serotonergic axons innervate neurons and 
      blood vessels. Human MDMA users have altered serotonergic function and reduced 
      gray matter density in occipital cortex. The fMRI BOLD method is potentially 
      sensitive to both the neuronal and vascular consequences of MDMA-induced 
      serotonin toxicity. To test the hypothesis that MDMA users have altered visual 
      system function, we used the fMRI BOLD technique to assay visual cortical 
      activation after photic stimulation in a group of adult MDMA users. Because MDMA 
      users worldwide are polydrug users and therefore difficult to match to comparison 
      groups in terms of polydrug exposure, we conducted a primary within-group 
      analysis examining the correlation between lifetime episodes of MDMA exposure and 
      measures of visual cortical activation. The within-group correlational analysis 
      in the MDMA user group revealed that the degree of prior MDMA exposure was 
      significantly positively correlated with the number of activated pixels for 
      photic stimulation (r=0.582, p=0.007). A secondary between-group comparison of 
      MDMA users with non-MDMA users found overall greater levels of polydrug exposure 
      in the MDMA user cohort but no significant differences in visual cortical 
      activation measures between the two groups. Additional research is needed to 
      clarify the origin and significance of the current findings.
FAU - Cowan, R L
AU  - Cowan RL
AD  - Brain Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, and Department of Psychiatry, Harvard 
      Medical School, MA 02478, USA. Ronald.L.Cowan@Vanderbilt.Edu
FAU - Haga, E
AU  - Haga E
FAU - deB Frederick, B
AU  - deB Frederick B
FAU - Dietrich, M S
AU  - Dietrich MS
FAU - Vimal, R L P
AU  - Vimal RL
FAU - Lukas, S E
AU  - Lukas SE
FAU - Renshaw, P F
AU  - Renshaw PF
LA  - eng
GR  - DA00343/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - DA00366/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - DA015137/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - DA03994/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - DA09448/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - DA14013/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, N.I.H., Extramural
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
DEP - 20060619
PL  - United States
TA  - Pharmacol Biochem Behav
JT  - Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior
JID - 0367050
RN  - KE1SEN21RM (N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adolescent
MH  - Adult
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Magnetic Resonance Imaging
MH  - Male
MH  - N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine/*adverse effects
MH  - Photic Stimulation
MH  - Substance-Related Disorders/*physiopathology
MH  - Visual Cortex/*drug effects/*physiology
EDAT- 2006/06/20 09:00
MHDA- 2006/10/06 09:00
CRDT- 2006/06/20 09:00
PHST- 2005/08/30 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2006/03/30 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2006/04/26 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2006/06/20 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2006/10/06 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2006/06/20 09:00 [entrez]
AID - S0091-3057(06)00121-3 [pii]
AID - 10.1016/j.pbb.2006.04.024 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2006 Jun;84(2):219-28. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2006.04.024. 
      Epub 2006 Jun 19.