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Auditory event-related potentials (P3) and cognitive performance in recreational ecstasy polydrug users: evidence from a 12-month longitudinal study

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Abstract

Rationale

There is important preclinical evidence of the long-lasting neurotoxic and selective effects of ecstasy (MDMA) on serotonin systems in nonhuman primates. In humans, long-term recreational use of ecstasy has been mainly associated with memory impairment.

Objective

The first aim of our study was to evaluate the cognitive and electrophysiological long-term alterations associated with lifetime ecstasy use within a sample of ecstasy polydrug users along a 1-year follow-up. Our second aim was to explore the relationship between specific cognitive functions and P300 (P3) event-related potentials (ERPs) in ecstasy users.

Materials and methods

We conducted auditory P3 latency and amplitude and administered a battery of cognitive tests to three groups of subjects: 14 current ecstasy polydrug users, 13 current cannabis users, and 22 controls free of illicit drugs in two evaluations during 1 year.

Results

We found significant differences between ecstasy users and controls on cognitive measures of word fluency, processing speed, and memory recognition after 1-year follow-up. We found no significant differences between ecstasy and cannabis users or cannabis users and controls on cognitive tests. Lifetime ecstasy use was associated with poorer memory recognition. No group differences were shown on P3 latency or amplitude. Significant correlations emerged between P3 latency and cannabis lifetime use (higher cannabis use was related to faster latency, showing a paradoxical effect) but not with ecstasy exposure.

Conclusions

Our findings provide evidence of mild long-term cognitive deficits among ecstasy polydrug users. Both ecstasy use and the dynamic interaction between ecstasy and cannabis effects may account for these deficits. No significant P3 alterations were found in ecstasy users.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported in part by Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (FIS-00/00777) and Plan Nacional Sobre Drogas (INT/2012/2002) Spain, the project “Neurotossicita’ a Lungo Termine dell’ Ecstasy” from Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy, and Generalitat de Catalunya (2001SGR00407, SGR 2005).

Conflict of interests

The authors declare the absence of conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral Neurology and Dementia Section, Neurology Department, Hospital del Mar, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Passeig Maritim, 25–29, 08003, Barcelona, Spain

    Susana de Sola & Jordi Peña-Casanova

  2. Neuropsychopharmacology Programme, Institut Municipal d’Investigació Mèdica, Parc de Recerca Biomèdica, Barcelona, Spain

    Susana de Sola, Thais Tarancón, Jordi Peña-Casanova, Josep María Espadaler, Klaus Langohr, Magí Farré, Antonio Verdejo-García & Rafael de la Torre

  3. Neurophysiology Section, Neurology Department, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain

    Thais Tarancón & Josep María Espadaler

  4. Unitat de Recerca en Farmacologia, Institut Municipal d’Investigació Mèdica, Barcelona, Spain

    Klaus Langohr, Sandra Poudevida, Magí Farré, Antonio Verdejo-García & Rafael de la Torre

  5. UDIMAS, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain

    Magí Farré

  6. CEXS, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain

    Rafael de la Torre

  7. Departament d’Estadística i Investigació Operativa, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

    Klaus Langohr

  8. Institute of Neuroscience, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain

    Antonio Verdejo-García

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  1. Susana de Sola
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Correspondence to Jordi Peña-Casanova.

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de Sola, S., Tarancón, T., Peña-Casanova, J. et al. Auditory event-related potentials (P3) and cognitive performance in recreational ecstasy polydrug users: evidence from a 12-month longitudinal study. Psychopharmacology 200, 425–437 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-008-1217-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-008-1217-5

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