New research reveals the effects of ecstasy on memory function

In a paper entitled Ecstasy (MDMA) and memory function: a meta-analytic update, which will be published in Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental on Monday 25 June, Professor Keith Laws and Joy Kokkalis from the University’s School of Psychology, analysed memory data from 26 studies involving over 600 ecstasy users.

They report that the recreational use of ecstasy produces a moderate to large effect on short-term and long-term memory and verbal memory, but not on visual memory. In over three-quarters of ecstasy users, long and short-term verbal memory is below the average of non-ecstasy using controls. They also found that the memory impairment was unrelated to the total number of ecstasy tablets consumed.

Dr Laws commented: “To summarise, this meta-analysis confirms that ecstasy users show significantly impaired short-term and long-term memory when compared with non-ecstasy users. The ecstasy users also displayed significantly worse verbal than visual memory. Indeed, their visual memory was relatively normal and seems to be affected more by concurrent cannabis use.”