ECSTASY DRUG LINKED TO LONG-TERM BRAIN DAMAGE

The hallucinogen Ecstasy causes long-term damage to the brains of people not otherwise at risk of depression, according to a new study.

Even if the damage does not show up immediately, it will make them vulnerable to a host of problems as they age.A second study, also completed recently, shows that the drug triggers "midweek blues" a few days after weekend use in people who are not normally depressed.

Numerous studies of animals have already proved that the drug causes irreversible harm to brain cells crucial in regulating mood. Scientists are convinced that the same is true of humans. Now there is hard evidence to support their suspicion.

In the first study, Dr. Michael Morgan of the Department of Psychology at University College, Swansea, in Wales, compared three groups of students: 16 had taken the drug 20 or more times; 12 had taken other illegal drugs but not Ecstasy; and 16 had never touched illegal drugs.

On a battery of tests of mental agility, the Ecstasy users performed significantly worse than the other groups. Four of the Ecstasy users were so badly affected they were unable to complete one of the tests.

People who perform badly on these tests have specific brain damage. The same is likely to be true of Morgan's Ecstasy users.

"This is the first evidence from a British study of any lasting neuro-psychological deficit associated with Ecstasy use," Morgan said. "It could be the tip of a neuro-psychological iceberg of severe mental problems."

His results suggest damage to the higher, cortical regions of the brain.

The impact of Ecstasy, suggests Morgan, is mainly on levels of serotonin, the brain chemical whose levels are raised by anti-depressants such as Prozac. Studies of humans as well as animals have shown that the ecstatic effect is caused by raised levels of serotonin in the short term - as with alcohol.

But, in the longer term, Ecstasy reduces serotonin levels because the drug damages serotonin receptors and neurons. This concerns scientists because low serotonin levels are found in people suffering from a variety of problems - including depression, impulsive aggression, alcoholism and bulimia.