Abstract
Rationale
The present study investigated the long-term consequences of ecstasy use on visual processes thought to reflect serotonergic functions in the occipital lobe. Evidence indicates that the main psychoactive ingredient in ecstasy (methylendioxymethamphetamine) causes long-term changes to the serotonin system in human users. Previous research has found that amphetamine-abstinent ecstasy users have disrupted visual processing in the occipital lobe which relies on serotonin, with researchers concluding that ecstasy broadens orientation tuning bandwidths. However, other processes may have accounted for these results.
Objectives
The aim of the present research was to determine if amphetamine-abstinent ecstasy users have changes in occipital lobe functioning, as revealed by two studies: a masking study that directly measured the width of orientation tuning bandwidths and a contour integration task that measured the strength of long-range connections in the visual cortex of drug users compared to controls.
Method
Participants were compared on the width of orientation tuning bandwidths (26 controls, 12 ecstasy users, 10 ecstasy + amphetamine users) and the strength of long-range connections (38 controls, 15 ecstasy user, 12 ecstasy + amphetamine users) in the occipital lobe.
Results
Amphetamine-abstinent ecstasy users had significantly broader orientation tuning bandwidths than controls and significantly lower contour detection thresholds (CDTs), indicating worse performance on the task, than both controls and ecstasy + amphetamine users.
Conclusion
These results extend on previous research, which is consistent with the proposal that ecstasy may damage the serotonin system, resulting in behavioral changes on tests of visual perception processes which are thought to reflect serotonergic functions in the occipital lobe.
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Acknowledgments
This study was aided by an Australian Postgraduate Award to Claire White. The authors have full control of the primary data and agree to allow the journal to review the data if requested. The experiments comply with the current laws in the country in which they were performed.
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White, C., Brown, J. & Edwards, M. Altered visual perception in long-term ecstasy (MDMA) users. Psychopharmacology 229, 155–165 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-013-3094-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-013-3094-9