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The neuropsychology of ecstasy (MDMA) use: a quantitative review
Author(s) -
Zakzanis Konstantine K.,
Campbell Zachariah,
Jovanovski Diana
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/hup.873
Subject(s) - ecstasy , mdma , neuropsychology , psychology , psychiatry , cognition
A growing number of empirical studies have found varying neuropsychological impairments associated with use of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) use. We set out to determine to what extent neuropsychological abilities are impaired in MDMA users. To do so, meta‐analytical methods were used to determine the magnitude of neuropsychological impairment in MDMA users across pre‐specified cognitive domains. We found that cognitive impairment secondary to recreational drug use may result in what might be described as small‐to‐medium effects across all cognitive domains with learning and memory being most impaired. We also found that total lifetime ingestion of MDMA appears to be negatively associated with performance on tasks ranging from attention and concentration to learning and memory. Implications and limitations of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.