The Neurobiology of Ecstasy (MDMA)

When people use Ecstasy repeatedly or long term, there may be changes in their brain chemistry that suggest that the serotonin neurons are damaged. One major clue is that serotonin itself and its metabolites (remind students that serotonin that is taken back up into the terminal is metabolized by enzymes) are diminished in the brains of animals treated with ecstasy. Moreover, the best evidence that we have so far is that even seven years after a brief exposure to ecstasy, serotonin levels in monkey brains have not fully returned to normal. This is described in the next image.