Journal of psychopharmacology
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J. Psychopharmacol. (Oxford) · Jul 2008
Cognitive performance in recreational ecstasy polydrug users: a two-year follow-up study.
There is important preclinical evidence of long lasting neurotoxic and selective effects of ecstasy MDMA on serotonin systems in non-human primates. In humans long-term recreational use of ecstasy has been mainly associated with learning and memory impairments. The aim of the present study was to investigate the neuropsychological profile associated with ecstasy use within recreational polydrug users, and describe the cognitive changes related to maintained or variable ecstasy use along a two years period. ⋯ After two years ecstasy users showed persistent deficits on verbal fluency, working memory and processing speed. These findings should be interpreted with caution, since the possibility of premorbid group differences cannot be entirely excluded. Our findings support that ecstasy use, or ecstasy/cannabis synergic effects, are responsible for the sub-clinical deficits observed in ecstasy polydrug users, and provides additional evidence for long-term cognitive impairment owing to ecstasy consumption in the context of polydrug use.
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J. Psychopharmacol. (Oxford) · Jul 2008
Comparative Study Controlled Clinical TrialKetamine aggravates symptoms of acute stress disorder in a naturalistic sample of accident victims.
The glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist ketamine produces transient dissociative states and alters cognitive functioning in healthy humans, thus resembling the core symptoms of acute and chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). First evidence exists that the common use of the analgesic and sedative properties of ketamine during emergency care correlates with sustained symptoms of PTSD in accident victims. The aim of the present study was to examine whether ketamine administration after moderate accidental trauma modulates dissociation and other symptoms of acute stress disorder (ASD) in the direct aftermath of the event. ⋯ There were no significant differences between medication groups in demographic and clinical characteristics such as injury severity or prior traumatization. With respect to ASD symptomatology three days post-event there were significant associations between ketamine analgosedation and increased symptoms of dissociation, reexperiencing, hyperarousal and avoidance relative to the comparison groups. Growing evidence exists that ketamine might modulate or aggravate early post-traumatic stress reactions when given in the acute trauma phase, which in turn might contribute to long-lasting symptomatology.