Thus , the current state of research does not allow for the conclusion that long-term use of MDMA affects decision-making behavior in general .
Different cognitive impairments have been reported as a result of long-term MDMA/ecstasy use .
Increased impulsivity and altered decision-making have been shown to be associated with the development and maintenance of addictive disorders pointing toward the necessity to underst and a potential impairment of decision-making due to MDMA use .
Thus , assessing the long-term effects of MDMA is crucial in order to evaluate its controversially discussed therapeutic use .
The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the scientific literature on potential effects of chronic MDMA use on higher order decision-making processes in humans .
Disrupted ‘reflection’ impulsivity in cannabis users but not current or former ecstasy users
Abstract Evidence for serotonin involvement in impulsivity has generated interest in the measurement of impulsivity in regular ecstasy users , who are thought to display serotonergic dysfunction . However , current findings are inconsistent . Here , we used a recently developed Information Sampling Test to measure ‘ reflection ’ impulsivity in 46 current ecstasy users , 14 subjects who used ecstasy in the past , 15 current cannabis users and 19 drug-naïve controls . Despite elevated scores on the Impulsivity subscale of the Eysenck Impulsiveness-Venturesomeness-Empathy question naire , the current and previous ecstasy users did not differ significantly from the drug-naive controls on the Information Sampling Test . In contrast , the cannabis users sample d significantly less information on the task , and tolerated a lower level of certainty in their decision-making , in comparison to the drug-naive controls . The effect in cannabis users extends our earlier observations in amphetamine- and opiate-dependent individuals ( Clark , et al. , 2006 , Biological Psychiatry 60 : 515–522 ) , and suggests that reduced reflection may be a common cognitive style across regular users of a variety of substances . However , the lack of effects in the two ecstasy groups suggests that the relationship between serotonin function , ecstasy use and impulsivity is more complex
Thus , the current state of research does not allow for the conclusion that long-term use of MDMA affects decision-making behavior in general .
Different cognitive impairments have been reported as a result of long-term MDMA/ecstasy use .
Increased impulsivity and altered decision-making have been shown to be associated with the development and maintenance of addictive disorders pointing toward the necessity to underst and a potential impairment of decision-making due to MDMA use .
Thus , assessing the long-term effects of MDMA is crucial in order to evaluate its controversially discussed therapeutic use .
The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the scientific literature on potential effects of chronic MDMA use on higher order decision-making processes in humans .