Cortical Serotonin Transporter Density and Verbal Memory in Individuals Who Stopped Using 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "Ecstasy")

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Abstract
ALTHOUGH GENERALLY regarded as relatively safe, the popular recreational drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "ecstasy") has increasingly been shown to lead to toxic effects on brain serotonin (5-HT) neurons in animals and possibly in humans. In animals, damage to 5-HT neurons has been demonstrated by reductions in various markers unique to 5-HT axons, including the density of 5-HT transporters (SERTs).1-5 Since the SERT is located on the presynaptic axons and axon terminals of 5-HT neurons, it is considered to be a reliable marker of 5-HT neurotoxic changes. With the development of imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), it is now possible to measure SERT densities in the human brain. Recent imaging studies have shown decreases in central SERTs in MDMA-treated primates and human MDMA users.6-8
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