New paper from Swiss MDMA research team

Franz Vollenweider and his team at the University of Zurich, who are researching MDMA use, have published a new paper called 'Mood state and brain electric activity in Ecstasy users'.
Here is the abstract of the paper, and the whole article can be downloaded at www.neuroreport.com.

Alex Gamma (1), Edi Frei (1), Dietrich Lehmann (2), Roberto D. Pascual-Marqui (2), Daniel Hell (1) and Franz X. Vollenweider (1)

(1) Research Unit and (2) The KEY Institute for Brain-Mind Research, University Hospital of Psychiatry, Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, 8029 Zurich, Switzerland

Resting EEG during open and closed eyes and subsequent mood ratings were obtained from 15 Ecstasy users and 14 Ecstasy-naïve controls. Absolute spectral power on the scalp, and the three-dimensional, intracerebral distribution of neuroelectric activity using Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA) were computed. In Ecstasy users compared to controls, LORETA revealed global increases of Theta, Alpha1 and Beta2/3 power during eyes open, and spectral analyses revealed a right-posterior increase of Alpha2 power (confirmed by LORETA) and increased Beta band activity during open eyes. Ecstasy users had higher levels of state depressiveness, emotional excitability and a trend-level increase in state anxiety. The observed differences may be related to regular exposure to Ecstasy or other illicit drugs, or may be pre-existing.

• Neuroreport 2000, 11(1):157-162